Barely Human
by skamusic4
Summary: Mel, Jared, Wanda, Ian, Doc and Jamie set out to meet another group of humans, who live in Antarctica. Only, not all of them are human...or souls. Six of them happen to be avian-humans, and Jamie takes interest in one in particular. Even if she hates him.
1. Prologue

_**Barely Human**_

**AN: This is set 3 years after Fang, and about 1 year after The Host. So Jamie is 16, Max/Fang/Iggy are 18ish etc. This is my first crossover so...enjoy. [:**

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Prologue _

**Jamie's POV**

Melanie is a great sister. But sometimes, she annoys the Hell out of me.

She, Jared, Wanda, Ian and Doc were going to go see this other colony of humans, and she didn't want me to come, because she didn't think it was safe. Sure, it was in Antarctica, but so what? I'd gone on a bunch of raids throughout the last year, and I was 16. If the souls hadn't taken over the world, I'd be driving by now.

"Come on, Mel, let him come," Jared said, sticking up for me.

"It's _Antarctica_," she argued. "That's so far away! And it's absolutely freezing. I'm not going to let my little brother freeze to death."

"I'm sixteen," I said, getting a little ticked off. "Not five. Come on. If I freeze, Doc can just give me some Defrost and I'll be fine." Well, I wasn't sure that something like that existed, but you never know. I wouldn't be surprised.

Melanie was still unconvinced, so I crossed my arms and made my best badass face. I was taller than her now, by at least a few inches.

"It'll be good for him to get out," Ian pointed out. "He hasn't come on a raid for a few months." She made a face, but I could tell she was ready to cave. I glanced at Wanda, hoping for reinforcement, but she looked just as unsure as Mel.

"Just let him come, Melanie," Doc mumbled.

"Fine," she muttered, unhappy but outnumbered. "But I swear to God, Jamie, if you get into any trouble whatsoever, you'll have Hell to pay." I grinned.

"Sounds good. Thanks Mel." I shuffled to my room to pack, giddy with excitement. We were setting out tomorrow.

**Max's POV**

Damn, it was cold. I'd always hated Antarctica, since the first time we came here. But at least my flock was together and safe. That's all that mattered.

When Jeb and the rest of the annoying adults told me that I had to save the world, they clearly didn't expect it to be taken over by aliens. Ha-ha. How is it that I still find that funny? No, not funny exactly; more like ironic.

It was pretty scary, the takeover. But the flock, and Ella and Mom had all gotten out alive, and we were now living with some other survivors in this development we made in Antarctica. It was freezing and we had to kill fish for food (Gazzy was the only one who liked fish) but, again, we were together.

Fang had come back to find me right as the souls first started invading. I'll skip the mushy reuniting scene for now, but I was just so elated to have him back. And a little pissed that he'd left in the first place, but I got over that pretty easily.

Like I said, it was cold. But Fang's arm was wrapped tightly around my waist, and that kept me warm enough. Iggy and Ella were closer than ever (getting the world invaded can do that sometimes), but Nudge was kind of depressed.

She's fifteen now, the age when hormones are really hyped up, especially if you're an over talkative avian-human cross bread. She feels that she'll never 'find love' and that she'll be a 'lonely bird freak forever'. The only other single boys at our little station were a Mexican twenty year old named Juan who spoke about ten words in English, and a ten year old kid named Jeffy who we had a feeling would grow up to like the same sex. And Gazzy, but that's kind of weird.

"Nudge looks so sad," I noted as we sat at the 'dining hall' (a room with some homemade tables and chairs).

"We all look sad when we're hungry," Fang pointed out. "Didn't Gazzy start crying when Iggy stole his cookie?" I glanced at him.

"Um, no. Not that I know of."

"Nudge is fine," he assured me. I glanced at her again, at the way she stirred at her food, uncharacteristically quiet and sullen.

"No she's not," I said sadly. "She's not."


	2. Chapter 1

**AN: It's much too hot for my liking today. Too hot to run, too hot to clean my room, too hot to play soccer. But it's not too hot to write. Enjoy chapter one. **

Chapter One

Jamie's POV

Do you know how awkward it is to take a road trip to Antarctica with your sister and friends making lovey faces at each other? Doc was driving, so I was the one who had to listen to all of their vomit-worthy banter.

Don't get me wrong; I love Mel and Jared and Wanda and Ian. But can't they keep that to themselves? It was so weird.

For a fleeting moment, I wondered if it was worth it. After all, I _would_ freeze my ass off, and I _did_ have to sit through this romance novel of a car-ride. But I felt bad for thinking that, considering the fight I had to put up just to come. I mean, I was going across the globe to meet a whole group of humans. If that doesn't scream opportunity of a lifetime, I don't know what does.

I've noticed something throughout the raids I've gone on since Wanda started coming and making it easy and risk-less. Sadly, the souls' idea of music does not involve trashy pop singers or raps about getting drunk and hooking up. There were only a few actual music stations, but those were mostly instrumental pieces or souls singing about being a Bat. So while most kids listen to music on long car rides, I was stuck sitting here and doing absolutely nothing.

Clearly, I needed to occupy myself, somehow. _But_ _how_? By now, we were much further south. I think we were crossing into Mexico pretty soon. See, the souls have no need to set up customs or whatever between countries. They had a new form of money that all of the souls used, and to cross a boarder, all you had to do was drive past it. I doubted they knew where the actual boarders even were anymore, but it's not like anybody cared.

"Jared, my little brother is _right_ _there_!" I glanced over at the two, who were all over each other.

"Don't worry," I said. "I'm not paying attention." I leaned back, draping my arm lazily over my eyes. Good God. They had no shame.

_Sleep_, I told myself. _It'll kill a few hours_.

But sleep didn't come. I just lay there, head thrown back, trying to ignore the ever-present murmuring.

It's not like I hate love, or whatever. It can get discouraging, though, when the only humans left on the planet are paired up or way out of your age range. Age range…try saying that ten times, fast.

"Age range, ange rang, age rage…God that's hard!" I hadn't realized, for a second, that I'd said that out loud, and opened my eyes to see everyone (excluding Doc, who was driving) looking at me like I might have problems.

"You okay, Jamie?" Mel asked, genuinely concerned.

"You try it!"

"Try what?" She asked, glancing at me oddly.

"Saying age range ten times fast," I replied, feeling stupider by the second. She shook her head.

"You worry me sometimes," she told me, but I caught Ian muttering it to himself.

"Are we going to stop somewhere for the night?" Doc wondered. "Or are we going to take shifts?"

"I'll drive next!" I offered all too eagerly.

"You can't drive," Mel pointed out.

"It can't be that hard. Come on, I'm sixteen."

"No. You're lucky I even let you come. I'll drive." I crossed my arms defiantly, but nobody stood up for me this time.

"It's nothing personal Jamie," Ian mumbled. "I'd just like to, you know, keep my head in tact." I shot him a look, but let it drop. I probably _would_ kill us all if I tried to drive. I just needed something to do.

We pulled over so that Doc and Mel could switch places. Jared road shotgun, which was totally unfair because _I_ wasn't allowed to ride shotgun, earlier. Oh well, it got one lovey-dovey couple out of my line of sight.

I must have drifted off at some point, because the next thing I knew, we were parking somewhere.

"Jamie, wake up," Mel said, but I was already awake.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Potty break." I followed the others into the thruway stop that the souls had kept in business.

"I'll go order some subs," Wanda said. "What does everybody want?"

"Chicken finger," Ian answered.

"Salami," Jared said.

"Turkey," Mel told her.

"Whatever's cheapest," Doc said.

"Bologna with provolone cheese, black olives, onions, banana peppers, and lettuce," I rattled off. "No tomato." Wanda stared at me for a second.

"So…bologna?" I grinned.

"Yeah." I scampered off to the men's bathroom with Ian, Doc and Jared, while Mel went with Wanda to order the subs.

You know how when you go to a thruway rest stop the bathroom is usually less than tidy? Like, graffiti scratched into the stall doors, pee on the floor, bits of toilet paper scattered around and what not? Well, not now that the souls had taken over. It was meticulously neat and smelled like flowers of some sort, and there was a freaking _chandelier_ on the ceiling. I shook my head in disbelief as I assumed a spot in line.

"Hi there," someone said to me. I turned and smiled like a soul at him.

"Hello," I said in my friendliest tone.

"What's your name?"

"Drifting Harmony," I answered, feeling like I wanted to barf. "And you?"

"Greg," he responded. When my eyes widened, he said, "I kept the name of my host. I thought it had a nice ring. Where are you headed?"

"North," I replied, having no idea where we were. "A friend of mine invited me to stay with them in New York."

"That sounds nice. Are you partnered yet?" I shook my head uncomfortably. Wasn't that a personal question?

"Not yet. This body has only seen sixteen years." The man laughed.

"My partner's body has seen just seven years, but I love her to bits." 'Greg' looked to be about fifty. Ew.

"You must be very happy. Have a safe trip, Greg." A urinal had opened up, and I practically ran to it.

I know that souls are much different from humans, but don't they find that a little wrong? It disgusted me, to tell the truth. But what was worse was the fact that a seven year old could find someone they wanted to be with, and I still couldn't.

Nudge's POV 

"When are the people going to be here?" Gazzy asked Max. Max shrugged.

"I don't know. I heard they left yesterday, but we really have no way of knowing." Gazzy's almost thirteen, and I have to say, he's not too awful looking. If he wasn't three years younger than me, obsessed with farting, and practically my brother, I might go out with him. Then, Max and Fang were practically brother and sister and they still—

I shook my head. Was I getting desperate lately or what? What ever happened to _standards_? Like, seriously? I guess it's just hard to be picky when there aren't really many people left on earth.

What a depressing thought. I _love_ people. I'm a people person, you know? I enjoy socializing and making friends and gawking at cute guys. Too bad all the cute guys have sketchy aliens controlling their brains now.

The worst part is that the flock and I never even had a chance. We were just too outnumbered. Wings and raptor vision didn't end up helping us in the long run. Well, I mean, I guess they kind of did, because that's how we got to Antarctica. But what good were we now? The only use we had was extra body heat.

I was kind of excited to meet the people that were coming, but I'm mostly discouraged now. Max told us that there were two couples and one thirty-something, but he had a lover back at their home.

"You okay?" Max asked me. God, she asked me that every freaking day! I was so envious of her. She had Fang, her lover, and she was sitting pretty here. She didn't have to save the world anymore, didn't have to worry about weird scientists or Dylan or anybody.

"I'm fine," I snapped. "Could you stop asking me that?" She looked hurt, and I felt a little bad, but she could just run to Fang and everything would be better, right?

"I'm worried about you Nudge," she stated.

"Don't be."

"I am," she insisted. "Have you even eaten anything this week?"

"Yes, I have, actually. Now can you go back to your lover boy and get out of my face?" Max narrowed her eyes in that way that she has, and I could tell I stepped over the line.

"Listen to me, Nudge. It freaking sucks that the world got taken over and everybody is an alien, okay? But you need to stop wallowing and get your act together, or I swear I will personally kick your ass. Got it?"

"What's the point? Who cares if I'm perky and bubbly or depressed and quiet?"

"I do, damn it. You're my family, Nudge. Everybody in this room cares. We won't put up with it." She gestured around her, at Iggy and Fang, who looked uncomfortable. At Gazzy, whose eyes were wide. At Angel, who looked sorry. Even Ella looked ready to cry. "You're important to us. You've got to stop with your nonsense."

"It's not nonsense," I mumbled, tears welling up in my eyes. "You don't understand what it's like for me." I blinked, and the tears spilled over.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I know it's got to suck. But can't you just go back to the Nudge we know and love?" No, I thought, I can't. But I didn't have enough energy to keep arguing with Max.

"I'll try," I lied, and she hugged me. See, we're not really huggy people usually, but in Antarctica we take advantage of every opportunity for warmth that we get. So, bring on the hugs.

"From what I've heard," she told me quietly. "There's a bunch of other survivors in hiding. So, you never know."

I doubted that there would be some gorgeous, sweet, strong, sensitive, human teenager still alive, but I suppose, for the time being, I could cling to that thought. A girl can only hope.


	3. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two_

**AN: I'm a klutz. And I pay because of that fact. I don't really have a reason for taking an exceptionally long time to write. I guess I just…didn't. After my vacation, updates will most likely come a bit faster.**

Jamie's POV

You've heard of a ghost town, right? Sharon taught us about them once. How, for example, during the gold rush, people would populate towns really quickly, and then abandon them just as fast and a ghost town would be left over. It's not like she showed us pictures or anything, but I had a good idea of what they looked like.

Especially since we were driving through one at the very moment.

We'd left Argentina a few hours ago, and now we were in a completely deserted section of Chile. As in, utter wasteland. There were old, crumpled buildings, wood kiosks and other small road shops that were filled with termites. The souls had taken the people and the merchandise, but left the structures to rot on their own.

"Is this where the zombies jump out?" I mumbled nervously. I have to say, I was pretty unnerved. It was just so…empty.

"This will make stealing a boat pretty easy," Doc noted. I turned to face him.

"What?"

"Well how else did you think we would get to Antarctica?" I hadn't really thought that far, actually. In my mind, I just saw a car-ride, and then poof, we're in Antarctica.

"Funny you asked. Honestly, I thought we'd just ride on our magical unicorns or something."

"It just doesn't make sense," Wanda was saying, staring out the window. "Why would they just leave?"

"I heard the weather's unstable," Ian offered, but she was still mystified.

"They probably just didn't want to deal with it," Mel said. "They probably figured it would be easier if they stayed in a designated area." We passed by a sign that said something in another language, and 'Welcome to Tierra del Fuego' underneath.

"Almost there," Doc announced.

"How do we know there will be boats there?" I asked.

"We don't. If there's not, though, we're going to have to hope there's a payphone."

"A payphone," I repeated skeptically. "Who would we call, 911?"

"No. Burns gave us the number of the people in Antarctica."

"How in the world do they have a phone?" Doc shrugged.

"Beats me. I guess there was one there already, and the souls didn't bother to get rid of it." That didn't sound right: the souls were meticulous. Wouldn't they have searched Antarctica? Where had these people hidden? How? Maybe the key was to keep away from civilization.

We drove through the deserted streets for a little longer. Jared was driving now, and Melanie was beside him, feeding him directions from a piece of paper given to us by one of the other groups of humans. They were the ones who'd contacted the people in Antarctica, but weren't able to go, so they gave us the directions.

Eventually, we arrived at a place called Ushuaia Harbor, and Jared stopped the car.

"I'll survey the area," Wanda volunteered, pushing the door open. We watched carefully as she made her way through the brush and started down some old, wooden stairs. Several minutes later, she came back, grinning.

"I don't think there will be much of a problem," she said. We unloaded the car and parked it behind one of the abandon buildings, then followed Wanda down the stairs.

Well. She wasn't kidding.

Tied up to the docks were rows and rows of boats. There were big yachts, tiny fishing boats and everything in between. Ian whistled, taking in the scene.

"All we have to do is take our pick." My eyes brightened as they fell onto a big, sturdy-looking yacht titled 'Our House'. I could see, through the screen door, a few sets of unmade bunk-beds and a fluffy couch facing a small TV.

"I say we take that one."

Max's POV

"You'd think they'd be here by now," Iggy said, flipping fish on the grill. Cod, again.

"Not necessarily," I replied uneasily. I honestly wasn't sure how long it took non-winged human people to get from Arizona to here, but it couldn't be this long, could it?

"Maybe the three of us should fly down to the harbor, see if they're there," Fang suggested. Translation: _I'm really cold and want an excuse to fly_. He, Iggy and I were sitting in the kitchen, while the rest of the group was assembled in the dining hall.

Because I wanted an excuse to fly as well, I said, "Okay, I'm in. After dinner. Iggy?"

"Sure," he said, picking at the fish with our home-made spatula. Before anything else could be said, Nudge sulked in, gloomy and morose.

"Fish ready?" She asked in a flat monotone.

"Pretty soon," Iggy answered.

"We were just talking about going down to the harbor after dinner," I told her. "Want to come?" Getting out would do the girl good, I figured.

"No." She walked out of the room without another word. Gee, what a cheery little girl.

There wasn't much of a breeze when we got outside after dinner, which was rare for this time of year. The three of us were suited in our heavy winter coats that my mother and Ella had altered so that our wings poked out the back.

"Last chance," I said to Nudge as we headed for the door.

"I just don't want to go. Leave me alone." With that, she once again left the room abruptly, like my offer had offended her. I made a mental note to talk to her when I got back.

We took off, with Fang to my right and Iggy to my left. Below us, the frozen tundra rushed by, with the occasional group of penguins. After several minutes, the ice was replaced with choppy blue waters sprinkled with icebergs.

Eventually, the icebergs came less frequently, and the water became vast and all-encompassing. I nodded at Fang and nudged Iggy's wing, and together we swooped down.

This was always my favorite part. Whenever conditions were nice like this, it was fun to glide right above the water, flying low and flat like we were floating. An unexpected wave came and splashed my face with glacial water, setting off a round of shivers. Fang just laughed as I tried to wipe my face with my water-proof sleeve.

"Hey," Iggy shouted. "I think I hear something." I strained my ears, but only heard the sounds of the lapping waves.

"You sure?" I called back. He listened.

"Yeah, definitely. I think we should fly up, just in case." I trusted Iggy's uncanny hearing, gave the signal, and flew up again. Fang and I scoured the ocean with our eyes, while Ig waited patiently.

"There!" Fang bellowed, pointing. I followed his gaze, focusing….and he was right. I made out a tiny speck of gray in the wide, blue ocean.

"How will we know if they're the souls or the humans?" Iggy wondered. I grinned.

"We spy on them, of course." Fang raised an eyebrow.

"Spy on them," he repeated.

"Yep. We'll go around to the back of them, and then hover somewhere close where they can't see us and listen to how they talk."

"That sounds like it'll be harder than you think," he pointed out.

"Who's in charge again?" He rolled his eyes. "That's right. Now, to make it easier, I'll go down by myself and listen, and then come up and tell you what I heard."

"I'm not going to let you go there by yourself," he scoffed.

"Fang. Seriously?"

"Fine. But if you're not up in fifteen minutes, we're coming down."

"Okay. Love you." He smiled, something he'd been doing a lot more of since we'd been reunited.

"Love you too. Be careful."

"Right here," Iggy muttered half-heartedly, though he couldn't say much considering he and Ella were so much worse.

I grinned at the two before flying north, and then down.

The boat had a roof, and all of the people on the boat were under it, which made my job so much easier. I landed softly on it, making about as much sound as a worm (they're the quietest animal I know of). When I pressed my ear to the thin fiberglass roof, I could hear muffled conversation.

"….and we didn't bring a lot," came a deep, male voice.

"You think there are a lot of them?" Asked a higher, woman's voice.

"Maybe," replied the guy. "But probably not as much as us." I was pretty sure by their tones that they were human—the souls talked weird, almost too nice—but I was only positive when the door opened and somebody muttered 'shit'. Souls never ever swore. That was like, their huge deadly sin. They'd probably be burned if they said 'crap'.

Having heard everything I needed to hear, I spread out my wings and took off back to Fang and Iggy.

"Human," I reported when they were in hearing distance. "I bet it's them."

"Let's go say hi!" Iggy suggested. "Were there any—ahem—attractive women?" I shot him a look, which was sadly wasted.

"I'm telling Ella you said that," I told him. He put up his hands in an innocent gesture.

"It was just a question."

"Well I didn't get a look at any of them, anyway. Come on." We angled downward, so that we'd end up right on the flat part of the boat. I saw Fang taking a flashlight out of his pocket.

"Just in case," he said when he saw me looking. I nodded.

Predictably, the boat erupted in panic and chaos as soon as we landed. I mean, you'd be scared too, right? We're such terrifying creatures.

"We come in peace," I said, smiling. A girl, who looked to be a little younger than my eighteen, stared at us in terror. Because we're the most paranoid people you'll ever meet, Fang shined the light in her eyes…

And what do you know? They shined back.

That's about the moment when Iggy and Fang were both knocked unconscious.


	4. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three_

**AN: Sorry this took a while. I typed up half of this on vacation, and then sort of forgot to finish it. *Sheepish grin*. Anyway, here's chapter 3. Because of my prologue, the chapters are sort of messed up on here. It's no big deal, but I think I'm going to put chapters 4 and 5 in the same file next time I update, just to get it all on the same track. I'll try not to take as long :]**

Max's POV

I have to say, I didn't see that coming. We've been getting much too confident, ever since the whole takeover thing. We should have been more conscious of our surroundings. We should have taken more precautions.

But we didn't, and now I was here trying to defend myself as people—souls?-swung at me left and right.

"What are you guys?" I asked, dodging yet another attempt to attack me. I flew up, far enough that they couldn't reach me, but close enough that we could hear each other.

"Listen," I spat. "I may be outnumbered, but I've got the advantage here. Years of training and experience, and wings. So put down your weapons, and let's have a little chat." Really, I was trying to stall while Fang and Iggy regained consciousness. They seemed to be taking their precious time.

"What _are_ you?" One of the older guys—who'd knocked out Iggy—demanded. He had thick black hair and blue eyes that reminded me of Iggy.

"I'm human. Well, 98%, technically, but I'm not a soul, and I'm pretty sure you're not, either." Souls weren't usually violent like that. They were...passive aggressive? That's the first word that comes to mind. They smiled easily as they infested our planets and bodies.

"I'm not," he said slowly. "But she is."

"No shit," I retorted, annoyed. "Why'd you knock out my friends?"

"You have wings!" One of the other guys exclaimed. I wasn't sure if he was explaining why they knocked out Fang and Iggy, or just really slow catching on.

"Oh my, really?" I huffed sarcastically. I noticed the girl—the non-soul girl—shooting me dirty looks. "What's _your_ problem?" I asked. Attacking me and my friends tends to use up my patience pretty quickly. She wrinkled up her nose, like I smelled bad or something.

"My problem? Maybe it's that—"

"Mel, chill," the youngest guy said. He seemed to be the least bothered by us. He gave me an apologetic look. "Once she gets started, it's hard to stop her," he said. The girl—Mel—turned her dirty looks on him.

"You're not welcome here," she said to me. "Once your friends wake up, fly back to where ever you came from." We were going to do that anyway, but now that she'd ordered me to, I think we'd just stay for a little bit. You know how I am with orders.

"Why are you out here?" I asked. "And why do you have a soul?" Hah, that sounded funny. My eyes lit. "Is she, like, a hostage?"

"No," the black haired guy said through clenched teeth. "She's our friend. And the reason we're out here is none of your business."

"Well," I countered, seeing Fang slowly opening his eyes, rubbing his head. "You know, it might be."

"It's not," Mel said, clearly annoyed with me. Fang looked up to where I was hovering, and then around him. I could see the light bulb go off in his head.

"That's what you think," I said as Fang stood and flew over to me. His dark eyes seemed clouded over, tired.

"What's going on?" he whispered. "Why aren't you attacking them?"

"I'm just talking for now," I murmured back. "Waiting for you and Iggy to wake up." He glanced down at Iggy, who still hadn't roused to consciousness.

"Who are you?" I pretended to be delighted, grinning fakely.

"Me? I'm Max. This is Fang, and my knocked out friend over there is Iggy. Nice to meet you. Well…sort of."

"I'm Jamie," the youngest of them, the teenage boy, said, gesturing to himself. "And this is my sister Melanie, and—" Melanie slapped a hand over his mouth and whispered something to him. He shrugged, looking ashamed, and studied his feet.

Looking down, I saw that Iggy was just beginning to wake up. He blearily rose to his feet.

"Max?" He called.

"Up hear," I said. He cautiously extended his wings and flew up to where Fang and I were hovering.

Figuring that I'd see more of this bunch in the future, I decided it was a good time to take off.

"Well we'll just be on our way now," I said to the group nonchalantly. "Have a nice voyage." Nobody answered, not even the friendly kid. "Go left," I whispered, mainly for Iggy. Fang looked confused, but knew to do what I said.

"Did we make peace with them?" Iggy asked.

"I don't think so. But whatever. We'll probably see them…eh, I'd say tomorrow morning at the latest." We hung a left, flying toward the tip of South America. Soon, we would make a large loop and fly back to our house in Antarctica.

"How come we're going this way?" Fang asked as we glided through the wind. A biting breeze nipped at my fingers through my gloves, but it was nothing I couldn't handle.

"To play with their minds a little. I think it'll be funny when they show up at our house and see us, don't you think?"

"You sure they're the ones who are visiting? They have at least one soul."

"Pretty sure. They were mostly humans, and what else would a group of humans be doing in the middle of the ocean?"

"I don't like them," Iggy said.

"You saw them for about two seconds," I pointed out.

"So? They're mean. My head still hurts."

"They _are_ annoying, but hopefully we'll warm up to them."

"Heh heh," Iggy chuckled. "That's punny. See, you said _warm_ up, but that's hard since we're in—"

"Didn't we talk about this?" Fang interrupted. "The filter?" Iggy hung his head, probably realizing that what I said wasn't really much of a pun at all.

"Sorry."

"Don't sweat it."

"Heh heh, don't _sweat_—never mind." I rolled my eyes.

"Let's make a wide U-turn here," I suggested. We spaced out and turned some-what in sync.

Mostly, we didn't talk for the rest of the fly back home. We were back at the house not too long after sundown, making good time.

"Did you see them?" Nudge asked tiredly as we entered the main part of the house, removing our bulky jackets.

"We think so. They don't like us too much."

"Okay. I'm going to bed. Night." Everybody in the room watched her sulk up the stairs to the small room that she and Angel shared, still unaccustomed to her grumpy disposition.

"Is it weird that I miss Nudge's talking?" Gazzy asked from the chair he was lounging on.

"No," I replied sadly as I slid off my boots. "I do too."

Jamie's POV

Wanda and I set the table as the others mused over the strange bird-people. It was a tad late for dinner, but it was only now that we were really hungry.

Dinner for tonight would be spaghetti that we'd saved from the night before we left. It was cold, and probably wouldn't be too tasty, but it would have to suffice.

I watched Mel fume about how rude the girl was, and decided that they were a bit preoccupied to care what they had to eat. Doc was still utterly amazed that those people had wings. It completely boggled his mind. I'm not saying I wasn't pretty baffled, too, but crazy stuff seemed to pop up a lot nowadays. After a while, you sort of get used to it.

"I don't think they were going to hurt me," Wanda said as we began to fill the cups with juice.

"They seemed a little bitter, but not quite hostile," I agreed. "I thought it was pretty cool."

"You think there are more of them?" She wondered, seeming excited about the idea. I thought for a moment.

"Maybe there's a whole mass of them somewhere. Like, where people _without_ wings are the weird ones."

"I've seen stranger," she said with a shrug. I grinned.

"That's normal to you, huh?"

"I suppose it would be, had I just arrived here. But after spending so much time here, and getting used to the way things are, it was sort of strange." By 'here', she meant Earth. Even though she's been with us for, like, three years, the idea of living on more than one planet never ceased to amaze me. I mean, really, how sick would that be?

"You think we'll ever see them again?"

"God, I hope yet," Mel answered me, coming up behind me. "That girl was so annoying."

"You're just saying that because she reminds you of you," I blurted, not realizing what I was saying at first. She narrowed her eyes.

"That bird freak was nothing like me," she said through clenched teeth.

Not sure what to say to that, I announced, "Dinner time!"

After dinner, I sat on the bow of the boat and watched the waves as we sliced smoothly through them. It was chilly out, and my heavier clothes were packed away in my bag. I had a feeling that this wasn't even the coldest it would get.

Once I got too cold, I found my way over to the steering area. There were a few seats behind the steering wheel, where Doc looked dead on his feet, and Jared was shining a huge flashlight into the water.

"Want me to take over?" I offered.

"No, we've got it," Doc answered. "Thanks, though."

"Why not?" Jared twisted around.

"Jamie, there are these things called ice-burgs, and we're in big trouble if we crash into one. Haven't you ever seen _Titanic_?" I shook my head, and he resumed his duty.

"Go get some rest," he said with his back to me. "I think we're going to get there sometime tomorrow." I grinned at the sound of that and headed over to one of the two sets of bunk beds lined up against the wall. The sitting area was crowded, but fit us all nicely. Wanda and Ian were fast asleep on the couch, which we'd pulled out, and Melanie was asleep on the top bunk of the bed I was settling into.

It's like the day before school, I thought as I stretched out on the bed, my feet hanging off the edge of the bed. Tomorrow we'd meet new people. Our journey would be complete. I was excited, nervous, and hopeful all at once.

It's a great feeling.


	5. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four_

**AN: Ah, this is another story that I've neglected! I'm sorry for that. This chapter is relatively short, but I wanted to post it now, and it seemed like a good place to stop. Enjoy chapter four! **

Nudge's POV

Somehow, I ended up sprawled out in front of the front door. Don't ask how, because frankly, I don't know.

Anyway, I was waken up by someone pounding erratically on the door, like they were cold or something. Come on; it's Antarctica, that's unheard of. I really didn't care who it was or what they wanted. I just wanted to sleep.

I rose slowly, wincing at the head rush, still wondering how I got here. I swung open the door to see a disheveled bunch that I could care less about, anticipation flat out on their faces.

I can at least try to _appear_ happy sometimes. I can wing it if I want to. But when you wake me up—I don't care how—that's how you get on my bad side. Being nice? Screw that. I just want to get a few hours of sleep in.

"What do you want?" I hissed. Their faces fell, but only a little. One of the men stuck out a hand.

"Hi, I'm—"

"Inconsiderate? Yeah, I know."

"Excuse me?"

"I was trying to sleep here. But no, you have to come pounding on my door at God knows what time, and you don't even apologize?" I heard Angel's light, graceful steps come up behind me.

"Nudge, do you know who they are?"

"Hell if I care. I'm going back to bed." I left the survivor people to Angel and shuffled back up to my room.

I think we were off to a great start.

Jamie's POV

"I'm so sorry!" The little blonde girl apologized. "Ignore her, please!" I shrugged; we all had those moments. But something about the one girl—Nudge, apparently—had me interested. Curious.

She was pretty, yeah, but there was something in her eyes that made me want to get to know her. Damn, living in a cave for years can really do a number on a guy—I'm getting awfully cliché, aren't I? Forgive me, please.

The little girl, who looked about twelve or so, apologized feverishly, her wide blue eyes sincere.

"It's all right," Ian said, grinning. "We interrupted her sleep, it's understandable." The girl sighed.

"I really am sorry, nobody quite knows what's happened to Nudge. But anyway, I'm Angel, why don't you guys come in? It's freezing outside."

I smiled, grateful for the warmth as we shuffled inside their complex. It still wasn't necessarily warm, but it was considerably warmer then outside.

"I can finally defrost," I mumbled. Angel grinned up at me.

"You get used to the temperature," she promised. "I'm sure it's a lot different from the desert."

"Marginally," I agreed.

"You guys can wait here," she said, gesturing to a quaint-looking living area. "I'll go get everyone else."

"Thank you," Jared said, and Angel trotted off. I sank into a soft woven couch that had a complicated pattern on it, and Wanda and Ian plopped down next to me. Doc and Jared took the two identical recliners that matched the couch, and Mel sat on Jared's lap.

"I wonder how they found this place," I mused, eyes set on the tweed carpet that decorated the wood floor. There was a piney aroma, the whole house casting a log-cabin atmosphere. The fireplace opposite the couch added to its appeal.

"I think Burns said that they built it," Mel supplied. The idea was unimaginable to me. How would they undergo this project while the world was under attack? Much less out here, in this type of climate. I couldn't imagine the kinds of snowstorms they got here.

"That's incredible," Doc said, observing the building. "It's so comfortable in here." We all mumbled in agreement, still somewhat awkward. Just then, Angel came thundering down the steps with several people behind her.

"Everybody else will be down in a few," she said. "But I'll introduce you to these guys first."

The group stood in front of us, and we stood too, not wanting to be rude.

"Okay, this is my brother Gazzy," she said, pointing to a young boy with shaggy blonde hair and excited blue eyes. "And this is Valencia, her daughter Ella, and you've already met Nudge." Valencia was a grown woman, with short dark hair and kind features, and Ella looked like a younger version of her, probably about twenty, with lighter hair. And then there was Nudge, with her dark skin and eyes and curly hair, who seemed less than pleased to be awake.

"This is Jeffy," she announced, pointing to a little boy about her age, with light brown eyes and a blonde Mohawk. "And Juan, and Charlotte." Juan smiled, dirt crusted on his forehead, and waved tentatively. Charlotte seemed elated and about thirty or so. She had a slender build and fine, corn-silk blonde hair.

"These lovebirds are Kris and Jake," she said as she came to a twenty-something couple. They were cute together, both with dark hair and light eyes, and Jake took a protective stance over his girlfriend.

"And Dan and Kathy." They were older, probably in their sixties, but looked peaceful, complementing each other in such a way that I assumed they were a couple.

"And finally, Bethany, James, and their daughter Brianna." They were a happy looking family. Bethany and James were both considerably short, with thicker builds, and Bethany held the baby—Brianna—on her hip.

It was a rather small group—compared to ours, at least—but it was also a rather small house, so I supposed it was appropriate.

"There are three more in our group," Angel went on. "And they'll be down momentarily. Oh, here they come. Meet Max, Fang, and Iggy." And down stumbled the three bird kids from the boat.

My, now that was unexpected.

Nudge's POV

Who was I to care who these people were? I doubted they'd care who I was. And even so, they were leaving eventually. Why get close?

I suppose that's the main reason why I'm acting so closed-off. I don't want to get attached to any of them, because they'll be leaving soon enough anyway. Before, I thought that maybe I'd find someone to fall for, but now I could see that that was an insane idea. I didn't want to be crushed even further.

Yet despite all of that, I had to admit that the one boy had potential. I'm still a teenage girl, remember? I have these things called 'hormones'. They are a pain in the ass.

These stupid hormones try to convince me that because the teenage guy is attractive, that I'll fall in love with him and everything will be perfectly blissful. Come on, even I, desperate as I am, know that that's ludicrous.

So, I could care less about these people, and frankly, I just wanted to sleep. But still, I had to admit that the looks on their faces when Max, Fang, and Iggy came down was absolutely priceless. I'm human, after all.

Well, mostly.


	6. Chapter 5

_Chapter Five_

**AN: Happy Memorial Day everyone! Hope nobody got extremely awkward, blotchy sunburn on their shoulders this weekend….-cough cough- Here's another chapter :]**

Jamie's POV

We reeled in shock as the bird kids sauntered down the steps. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Doc straighten up hopefully, while the others looked ready to vomit.

"Oh God," Mel mumbled. The blonde one—Iggy, if I remembered correctly—laughed.

"What do their faces look like?" He asked the girl.

"Pure shock," she responded triumphantly. I noticed faint marks on the foreheads of the two guys, starting to bruise, and noticed Ian and Jared watching them sheepishly.

I can't even describe how awkward it was.

"We're sorry for before," I spoke up.

"I'm not," Melanie scoffed, and I narrowed my eyes at her. Would she rather be kicked out into the cold then try to make peace? Was she really that stubborn?

Well, yes, yes she was. But still.

"_I_ am," Ian said. "We had no idea you guys were actually, you know, good guys."

"Oh, we're not good guys," said Angel's brother, Gazzy, with a grave expression. "This one time, Iggy and I—"

"We can talk about this later!" Iggy cut in quickly. He laughed awkwardly and ran a hand through his hair.

"I agree with Ian," Jared said disregarding Melanie's aggravated expression. "We're really distrustful since the whole souls thing. Sorry about that."

"No harm done," Fang said in a quiet voice.

"We're used to being attacked," Gazzy added cheerfully. I glanced at Mel out of curiosity and saw that she had her arms crossed and her face in a scowl. All at once, I felt angry at my sister. Just once, _once_, I wanted her to admit that she was wrong. I was convinced that these people were nice and good-hearted, and yet her pride wouldn't accept it.

"You can always sleep in the boat," I whispered under my breath. Her eyes went harder.

"If I go, you're coming," she hissed back.

"Make me."

"You shouldn't even be here right now!" She snapped loudly. "If it were up to me, you would have stayed home!" I crossed my arms.

"You're too stubborn for your own good," I said at a lower volume, distinctly aware that all eyes were on us. We were causing a scene. Lovely.

"Look, why don't we just start over?" Interrupted Max.

"Start over?" Repeated Mel. She shook her head furiously and started for the door.

"Mel, come on," Jared beckoned. "It's really not a big deal." She kept walking though, until she got to the door, which she slammed behind her as she left. My cheeks were burning in embarrassment. My sister's outbreak induced an awkward silence that seemed to stretch out forever. Finally, Jared mumbled, "I'll be right back." He took off after Melanie.

Once he was gone, I felt the need to speak up.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "She's just really stubborn about…everything. It's hard for her to admit that she's wrong. She'll get over it."

"Sounds familiar," Fang remarked. Max punched him playfully.

"It happens," Max said. "People have a hard time accepting us anyway. She's not the only one, trust me." I felt relieved that they understood, but still annoyed at my sister's immature behavior. I was lucky, though, because at least it didn't cost us our shelter.

Max showed us our rooms shortly later. I was to share a medium sized room with Wanda, Ian, and Doc. If and when Mel and Jared came back, they would be sharing a small room adjacent to ours. Wanda and Ian were sharing a full sized mattress, and Doc and I each had a nice, Ozark Trail air mattress. The down side was that my sheets had little Pooh Bears on them. Eh, I'll take what I get.

I was sitting there drawing my hand across the sheets, deep in contemplation, when Nudge entered my room. She had with her a bushel of clothes.

"Max told me to give these to you guys," she mumbled, setting it down. She turned to go away.

"Hey," I said, stopping her. I'm not sure why. I didn't really have anything to say. She turned around and raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your sleep this morning," I said with a wry smile. I saw the edge of her mouth just barely quirk up as she shook her head.

"Have fun with Winnie the Pooh," she mocked as she exited the room.

Nudge's POV

The bitchy girl and her boyfriend came back in around four.

She apologized reluctantly to Max about her behavior, while sounding like she was being strangled to death.

Max accepted it, and I thought briefly how she's changed so much. The Old Max would have probably not let Melanie back into the house.

Iggy was busy talking to the doctor-dude, and he asked me to start dinner for him. Ugh, just another hassle in my life.

I sulked into the kitchen and began chopping up a cucumber for the salad. A few seconds later, that Jamie kid walked in. Not him again.

"Need any help?" He asked.

"No."

"You sure?"

"Yes." He shrugged and walked over to the fridge, pulling out a head of lettuce.

"What are you doing?" I asked. "I said I didn't need help."

"It'll get done faster with two hands," he pointed out. I scowled but said no more. "Where are the bowls?" I pointed to the cabinet without saying a word.

I'm not sure what it was that annoyed me about Jamie. He was nice enough, and didn't press me with questions. Maybe it was that he was the only one of them that wasn't scared off by my reclusive personality. The whole point was that I didn't want to talk to anyone, and yet here he was, totally un-phased, insisting on helping me with dinner.

Also, there was a certain pleasantness to his character that aggravated me. Here we were, with the world under destruction, and he sat there whistling while he tossed a salad. Didn't he see that there wasn't any hope? He seemed simply ignorant to me.

Come to think of it, that's why everybody annoyed me these days.

"Salad's ready, it just needs the cucumbers," Jamie announced, holding out the bowl. More time had passed than I thought, and I had been repeatedly stabbing the knife into the cutting board. I felt a slight heat rise to my cheeks as I dumped the cucumbers into the bowl.

"What's in there?" I asked in a monotone voice.

"Lettuce, chick peas, ham, cheese, carrots, bread crumbs, beets. And cucumbers. Forgive me for experimenting." I shrugged. I didn't like salad anyway. "So, what's for the main course?" I shrugged.

"Iggy can handle that."

"He might take a while though. Why don't we make pizza?"

"Pizza?" I inquired.

"Yeah. It's easy and can feed a lot of people." I laughed without humor.

"Maybe a lot of _your_ kind of people. We'll go hungry unless we have at least a whole pizza each." Jamie blinked.

"My 'kind of people?'" I snorted. Was he oblivious or just stupid? I shook out my wings a little.

"Yes, _your_ kind of people. We're a little bit different, in case you can't tell."

"Well, whatever. We can make something else."

"That's why Iggy's in charge," I said. "He knows how to make stuff that will feed everyone. Usually it's a bunch of different things."

"Why do you guys eat so much?"

"That's just the way we work," I snapped, tired of talking. I was saved from conversation, then, as Iggy sauntered into the kitchen.

"Don't mean to interrupt the friend-making here," he said, turning to exit.

"Please do," I responded, striding past him. In the living area, the doctor was chatting with Gazzy animatedly while Max talked to Ian and Wanda. I didn't know where everyone else was, nor did I care.

"I can shoot lasers out of my eyes," Gazzy was saying. "Max just said that I shouldn't. Also, all of us have x-ray vision and can shoot water out of our middle fingers and fire out of our thumbs. Max said we shouldn't do that either so, like, we never do." I rolled my eyes at the way he stretched the truth.

"And Nudge," he continued, gesturing to me. "She's like Magneto from X-Men. A total beast." Doc, who was listening earnestly with wide eyes, glanced at me, then back to Gazzy. Somebody probably should set the guy straight…but it wasn't going to be me. I hiked the stairs up to my room where I could be alone—finally.

I sat on my bed, bundled up in blankets. It seemed like a good time for a power-nap. I hadn't gotten my appropriate amount of sleep last night, anyway.

Shortly after I fell asleep, I had a weird dream. I was sitting in a snow bank, wearing a bikini. My dream-self was relishing, because the sun was shining and I finally got to wear a bathing-suit. It was super hot, even in the snow bank. I was leaning against the house that we now resided in.

Suddenly, a woman in all black came running toward me. It struck me as weird that she was wearing black, when it was so hot out. She was sweating like a dog, and panting.

"Come sit down," I said with a smile, patting the snow next to me. My eyes were glistening in the sun as I soaked up the Vitamin D. That's what I needed. Nice, warm sunshine. All that was missing was lemonade with a little umbrella.

The woman glared at me, and I realized that my wings were unfolded. I tried to close them out of courtesy, but they were stuck.

"Sorry," I said to her. "They're being weird. But you can come sit here, there's more room. The snow feels good in the heat. Don't you think it's _so_ hot out? It _never_ gets like this here. I don't remember the last time I wore a swimsuit. Maybe the snow will melt and we can go swimming. Wouldn't that be something? Swimming in—" I never finished, because while I'd been talking the woman had taken out a huge gun, and before I finished my last sentence, she shot me between the eyes.

I woke up with a start, sweat dripping down my forehead.

"Bad dream?" My eyes shot to the doorframe. Standing there was that stupid Jamie kid, watching me writhe around.

"What do you want?" I demanded coldly.

"I heard you shouting," he replied, "and came to see what was the matter."

"Nothing's the matter. Now leave. This is my room."

"I get it, I get it. No boys allowed. I just brought you something to maybe help." He advanced into my room and set something on my nightstand. I gaped at him, while he remained calm-as-you-please.

"Dinner's ready," he called over his shoulder as he left the room. For a few minutes, I just sat staring at the glass on my nightstand, with little beads of water condensed on the outside.

It was lemonade. With a little pink umbrella.


	7. Chapter 6

_Chapter Six_

**AN: Happy first day of summer! My gift to you on this summer solstice? Chapter six!**

Jamie's POV

I proudly walked out of Nudge's room, grinning to myself. The look on her face was priceless. I wonder if she knew how loudly she talked in her sleep. The lemonade, along with most of the ingredients of tonight's dinner, I'd fetched from the boat. Although Iggy and Fang had gone on a quick raid to Argentina earlier (wings make things so freaking easy) they were too paranoid to stay long enough to get a lot of stuff. Apparently, they hated raids.

The dinner tables were overflowing. There were three tables; two cafeteria tables and one fold-up card table. The 'dining hall', as they called it, was a large plain room attached to the kitchen. The walls were sloppily painted a murky green color and the floor was coated in a thin carpet. Charlotte, one of the non-winged ones, explained that if they could get the resources, she would love to redecorate this room.

"We have to keep the carpet, or it will be too cold," she explained. "So I was thinking a _burnt sienna_ for the walls, maybe a few pictures, and tablecloths. Tablecloths are a must. You can only live here for so long before you grow so sick of the bland stainless-steel cafeteria tables."

Now, though, it was so crowded that you could hardly even see said tables. The two long tables fit the original group comfortably, but with a third table squeezed into the room, and the addition of our group, it was pretty cramped. I didn't mind it, really, but the bird kids seemed extra squirmy, and though they tried to make polite conversation, their eyes would occasionally dart around the room.

Speaking of bird kids. I hadn't even realized that Max, Fang, and Iggy weren't the only ones with wings until Nudge shook out hers. I have to say, despite everything that's happened, I didn't expect her to be one of them. There were so many things I wanted to know, but I doubted I'd get it from her.

Once she'd left the room, I'd wondered, ever so nonchalantly, whether there were more.

"There are six of us," Iggy had easily responded. "Max, Fang, Angel, Gazzy, Nudge and I." I had nodded, trying to picture the tiny little girl that greeted us flying through the air. It wasn't coming to me.

Once I knew that, though, it was more and more obvious. When I saw them from the back, I could see their wings poking out of their shirts and coats. Sometimes, when they had enough room, they would even stretch out their wings. I didn't mind it, though; I thought it was really cool.

Here in the dining hall, they had no room to stretch, nor did the rest of us. We scooped our dinners in the kitchen, where the different dishes were lined up buffet style. Nudge still hadn't come down when I was done assembling my dinner, so I took a seat in between Iggy and Gazzy. Nobody _told_ me this was a bad idea.

"I got another one!" Gazzy said excitedly as I took a seat. I didn't think anything of it. "How can you tell if a chick is wearing pantyhose?"

"How?" Iggy asked.

Just as I put a piece of lettuce in my mouth, Gazzy howled, "If she farts, her ankles swell!" I tried not to groan.

This basically set the mood for the whole dinner time.

"Did you hear about the constipated mathematician?" Gazzy cackled as I quietly ate my potatoes. "He worked it out with a pencil! Hahahaha!" Angel actually did groan. Ella, who was sitting next to Iggy, spit out her water.

"Cute," Iggy said, wiping her backwash off his face. I couldn't eat my potatoes anymore. Just then, I spotted Nudge slinking into the room. She searched half-heartedly for a place to sit but, upon seeing none, she turned around and left the way she came.

To my left, Gazzy was laughing so hard that milk was coming out of his nose. To my right, Iggy and Ella were making out. I figured nobody would miss me.

"She'll probably be at the counter in the kitchen," Angel said as I stood up, as if she could read my mind. She chuckled for a reason unbeknownst to me.

"Thanks," I mumbled. I left the room and found Nudge, like Angel had said, sitting at the counter. She looked up when she heard me enter.

"You again?" She asked, extremely annoyed.

"Yup," I replied, taking a stool next to her. She scooted away. I scooted closer. This sequence continued until she reached the edge of the counter.

"Could you leave me alone?" She snapped. I shook my head with a grin. "What _is_ _it_ that you want?"

"I don't know…."

"Why are you obsessed with bothering me then?"

"Because it's fun," I said simply.

"Well, kicking your ass would be fun, but I restrain myself!"

"You couldn't kick my ass," I snorted, momentarily distracted. Her eyes darkened to a deadly hue that I'd never seen before.

"Are you kidding me?"

"No. I mean, you've got the wings and all, but you're too little to do any damage, no offence. I've gotten pretty strong over the years, working in the caves."

"You wanna prove that?" She hissed, standing up. I shook my head.

"I'm not going to fight a girl," I said. "I'm not like that." She put her hands on her hips.

"Because you know you're going to lose." I stood up. I didn't have any intension of actually fighting her, just defending myself against her. It would surely prove my point.

"You're going to regret this," she said in a venomous tone.

Forty-five seconds later, I was sitting on the farthest end of the dining hall, in infinite pain, while everybody else stared in shock.

"Nudge," Max said after a long pause. "What did I say about beating up the guests?"

"He had it coming." Mel was up faster than a bullet—or, you know, a bird-kid.

"Jamie!" She gasped, making a big fuss about it. I smiled.

"That girl," I said gravely. "Is a freaking beast."

"Oh my God! Look at you! Can you stand up? How's your head? Look at me; I need to see if your pupils are dilated." I sighed.

"I'm _fine_, Mel. It's really not a big deal." She grabbed my face and stared at my eyes.

"No dilation," she muttered to herself. "That's it. I'm done here. We're leaving in the morning. These people are rude and blood-thirsty and weird and—"

"Stop it," I interrupted. "We're not leaving! I like it here." She stared at me, disbelieving.

"You _like it here_? You got thrown across a room, and you _like_ it here?" I nodded feverishly.

"Nudge is really sorry," Max lied. Melanie glared at her.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Asked sweet, innocent little Angel. Her eyes were huge and watery. If Mel said no to that face…well that'd be just plain wrong.

"Um, fine," she said reluctantly. I caught Max shooting Angel a look, which confused me.

"No," Max whispered, so quiet that I hardly heard it. Angel nodded and walked off with Mel. The two of them talked for a few minutes, and when they came back, Mel looked dazed.

"I will stay," Mel said, almost trans-like. All of the bird-kids looked angry, especially Max, but not at my sister. They were all glowering at tiny little Angel. Weird. My sister shook her head, her old self quickly returning.

"But one more stunt like this and we're out of here," she added. "Nobody hurts my baby brother." I felt my cheeks redden, especially when she wheeled around to stare directly at Nudge. "Got it?" Nudge shrugged indifferently.

"Yeah, whatever."

Later that night, there was a big storm. Winds whipped at the house, and I was alarmed, wondering how the structure could withstand the force.

"It's blizzard-proof," Max assured me. "We built it ourselves. It's gotten through countless storms like this." I nodded, though my mind wasn't quite at ease.

It was the kind of night where nobody wanted to be alone. The howling of the wind, coupled with the shuddering windows, gave the place an eerie feel. For this reason, we all ended up congregated by the fire, telling stories. Wanda talked about the other planets she'd lived on, while the others looked on in wonder. By the time she finished her overview, it was getting late, and people were dropping like flies. Bethany and James said goodnight and took their baby up to their room. Dan and Kathy, the elderly couple, also decided to turn in, along with Valencia and little Jeffy, who was dead on his feet.

Once they were gone, we told some more stories. For once, it wasn't just Wanda sharing incredible tales.

"I remember when Iggy and I bombed those Erasers, after Max made us stay home when they went to go find Angel," Gazzy said excitedly. "I can still smell their burnt hair." He inhaled deeply.

"Erasers?" I wondered. I'd never head of erasers with hair.

"Oh, yeah, they're these people, right? But they can change into wolf-beasts when they want to. They're like werewolves."

"Do they still exist?" Doc wondered.

"Nah, they got 'retired'," Iggy muttered. "Itex decided they didn't want them anymore, so they killed 'em all."

"Who's Itex?" I asked.

"The bane of our existence," Max answered. "They're a mega company that just loves doing experiments. That's how we came about."

"How, exactly?"

"They graphed 2% avian DNA into ours," Max explained, like she was tired of it. I imagined she probably had to tell this to too many people. I glanced at Doc, who was probably the most in awe out of anybody. This was the kind of stuff he lived for, being a doctor and all.

"Didn't it hurt?" Ian inquired. Max smiled wryly.

"They did it before we were born, so no. But the other experiments did hurt." We all looked at her to go on, so she did. "For our whole childhood, they kept us in cages, and did random experiments on us whenever it fit their fancy. We eventually got out, but we're still on-edge whenever we smell antiseptic." I looked around, discovering that even Melanie was staring at Max with curiosity—maybe even a little respect. I guessed it was probably because she knew a little something about what it was like to have no control, to be locked up like that.

The birdkids went on describing their life before the souls took over. They talked about all the different creatures that would try to attack them, about the psychos they'd encountered—everything.

I had scooted over so that I was next to Nudge. I never learn, right? She wasn't talking, just listening to tales of her past. Her expression was different from all the ones I'd seen on her face thus far. Her eyes were far away, her face holding a melancholy sort of smile, soft and distant. She looked sad, in a peaceful sort of way that I didn't want to disturb. It was like she missed the old days.

"I remember when Nudge wanted to go to school," Gazzy mentioned at one point. When people's stares swiveled to her, she made herself appear more closed-off and indifferent than ever.

"Oh, we were so emotional," Max agreed, shaking her head. "She wanted to be a normal girl, with no wings. So, just when we were going to go rescue my mom from an angry Chinese man—who turned out to be a lizard—at the bottom of the ocean, she takes off."

"I came back," Nudge muttered with her usual glumness. Max smiled softly.

"We're glad you did."

"It was so freaking _quiet_ without Nudge," Iggy added.

"What?" I asked in spite of myself. Nudge was not one for talking, and I could argue that point.

Before Iggy could answer, Nudge got up and left. She was upstairs in seconds.

"She used to talk _all the time_," Iggy told me quietly, as the others talked about something else. "We used to call her Nudge Chanel. I mean, once she got going she would never stop." I blinked.

"Are we talking about the same Nudge?" He nodded gravely.

"Things changed after the souls took over. It was like all the spirit just drained out of her." I looked at the stairs, and then back to Iggy. It seemed impossible to me.

I resolved then that I would find the old Nudge before we left. I always like a good challenge, and this one was going to be extremely tough. But it was going to happen.

And I didn't care how many times I would get beat up before it did.

**AN: Too much mush? Too cheesy? Tell me your thoughts (:**


	8. Chapter 7

_Chapter Seven_

**AN: I'm baaack, with another chapter! Read on(:**

Jamie's POV

I never could sleep well in new places. This explains why I woke up at the break of dawn the next morning, before anybody else seemed to be up. I dawned my heavy jacket, resolving to walk around outside while I was awake.

The air was bitingly cold in that brisk, dry sort of way that I hadn't felt in quite some time. There was no wind or snow, though, so decided that it was okay weather for me to explore the place in. The snow from the blizzard the night before had hardened into ice, and I had to be careful where I stepped.

I glanced up, seeing several large birds soaring through the sky. However, there was something off in their formation. I squinted, the sun hurting my eyes. There was one bird that was larger than the others, I could tell, and it was slightly behind the others.

"It's one of the bird-kids," I whispered to myself. The name that came to mind was, _Nudge_.

I followed the birds from the ground, keeping my eye on the larger one which I presumed to be Nudge. After some time, though, she split from the group and flew off in the opposite direction. I ran after, though far behind.

She flew closer to the ground, and now I was sure it was Nudge. I could see her frazzled hair. Awestruck, I watched as she flew in circles, graceful and powerful. It was really remarkable.

She headed toward the water, and I sprinted after, almost slipping several times. She swooped down, practically gliding on the water. Hiding behind a large white chunk of ice, I gazed at her dips and turns, those large brown wings flapping forcefully.

After some time, she stopped, and hovered just above the water, staring out at the ocean. Her wings made the water spray up around her, and it looked almost supernatural.

I shuffled out of my spot behind the ice, and gradually began walking closer to the water.

Suddenly, the ground beneath me caved.

I shouted, grabbing at the earth desperately. A sharp rock ripped my sleeve, but I managed to grab onto one large one and hoist myself onto it. I was too far down though, and couldn't just climb up. Trapped in a crevice, with a ripped sleeve, I hoped to God that Nudge had heard me. The rock I was perched on didn't seem too stable.

"Help!" I shouted, but the words just echoed around me. It was dark in the crevice, and even colder than outside.

I glanced at where my sleeve was ripped, and saw my arm beginning to bleed. The rock had cut through all my layers, _and_ my skin. I cursed to myself.

"I'm trying to decide whether to help you, or just let you freeze." The voice came suddenly, and my head snapped up to see Nudge leaning over the edge of the crevice.

"Pretty please?" I asked, batting my eyelashes, which were already frozen.

"And what have you done for me, other than annoy the crap out of me?"

"Why, I brought you lemonade! And helped you with dinner. _And_, I've blessed you with my company on several occasions." My jaw began to tremble, the cold really setting in. I didn't have time to argue with her.

"I said _other_ than annoy the crap out of me." I grit my chattering teeth.

"Get me the f- out of here, or I'm going to die of hypothermia!" I snapped. I heard her sigh.

"Well, when you put it _that_ way." The crevice was wide enough for her and her wings to slip into, carefully. She grabbed my under my arms, and slowly we rose. Her wings scraped against the edges of the crevice, but she didn't seem to feel anything.

Finally, we were out, and she dropped my abruptly onto the snow.

"Th-th-thanks," I tried to say, convulsing with shivers. The cold air was getting into my coat, practically rendering it useless. Nudge glanced at my cut, and then ripped off my hood.

"Um, w-w-what was th-th-that for?" She ignored me, tearing it to shreds. Luckily I was wearing a hat. I watched curiously. She then tied to strips together, and began to wrap it around my cut, closing up the hole in my coat.

"Oh," I muttered. Before I could thank her again, she threw me over her shoulder, and all I could see was her large brown wings as she flew towards home. I lifted my head with great effort, and was able to see the gray sky, and the ice and snow so far beneath us.

If I wasn't so concerned with getting warm, this might have gone down as the coolest moment of my life. It was incredibly freeing to be so high up, so far away from the world; no wonder Nudge had been out so early. If I was her, I would be out here all of the time.

Soon, though, she descended—we were back. She sat me down, and we walked into the house. Still, nobody else was awake. She disappeared into the kitchen, and I stood next to the fireplace, taking off my jacket, boots, gloves, hat, sweatshirt, and thermal with shaking hands. Now that I was standing in just a pair of snow pants, I sat down and wrapped a blanket around myself.

Nudge came back with an elastic bandage, gauze, and Neosporin.

"Arm," she ordered, and I poked my wounded arm out of my blanket. She smothered the cut in Neosporin, and then wrapped it in gauze, and finally the elastic bandage to hold it all together.

"Nurse Nudge," I said with a wry smile. She rolled her eyes.

"Why the heck were you out there?" She asked. I shrugged, feeling defrosted already.

"I was going to explore a little, and then I saw you flying and got distracted." She flushed.

"It was a good opportunity for flying," she mumbled.

"Looked like it," I replied.

"Well, anyway. Following me around was really stupid. But then, I wouldn't expect any better from _you_."

"It's not my fault that you looked really cool." She narrowed her eyes, but I didn't stop. "It was actually pretty incredible. I don't know how I could ever walk around on land if I were you." Nudge looked away.

"Sometimes it's tempting."

"What is?"

"Flying away. You know, abandoning humans, just being a bird forever." Her eyes were a million miles away.

"That would suck, though," I pointed out. She looked at me sharply, snapping out of it.

"And why is that? What do people have to offer, anyway?"

"It would get lonely," I stated. "You wouldn't have anybody to talk to. And even if you don't like talking, you've got to have people around you—just to know that they're there. I, personally, would go insane if I lived a life like that."

"Well it would be good for me."

"Then why don't you? If a life alone sounds so peachy to you, why don't you do it?" She stared at me for several moments, before finally sighing.

"I really don't know," she murmured.

Nudge's POV

Once I had ascertained that Jamie's life wasn't in jeopardy, I went back to my room.

I thought about this morning. I'd waken up early to go to the bathroom, and couldn't seem to get back to sleep, so I went to fly outside for a little while. It had been exhilarating, flying first with the birds, and then on my own. I hadn't had a nice good fly like that in so long.

Coasting along the water, and high up in the sky, made me feel, for a few moments, that it was the good old days. I could pretend that we were here to stop Global Warming, or that we'd just defeated some M-Geeks. I could pretend that we had to save the world still, that the world was still capable of being saved.

But then stupid Jamie had to fall in a crevice. Idiot.

I don't know why I saved him. All he did was annoy me and make me want to punch him. I could have flown back to get help or something, and let him sit in that dark hole a little while longer, maybe get a little taste of what I feel every day.

You never know how much time you have, though. You never know when the worlds going to be taken over, or when all hope is going to disappear like a flame in the wind. As much as I hated Jamie, I couldn't have just let him die.

At least, I don't _think_ I could.

One of the things I hated most about him was that he made me _think_. I just wanted to go about in my usual ways, close myself off to the world and do as I please—but that wasn't enough for him. He wouldn't leave it at that.

Max and everybody else—they saw the way I was, feebly tried to think of an excuse for my behavior, and immediately tried to change me, tried to 'help' me. But Jamie wouldn't seem to rest until he knew _why_—and that was the worst. I didn't want anybody, much less some moronic teenage boy, getting in my head.

I laid face up on my bed, staring at the ceiling.

Why didn't I fly away, leave this worthless life? Who would miss me, anyway? They would never be able to find me—Antarctica is huge. I could feel the way I did this morning, but all the time.

Free. Alone. I wouldn't have to talk to anyone, wouldn't have stupid boys asking me stupider questions. I could just stretch out my wings, and be liberated.

I wouldn't be able to do it, though. I just didn't have it in me.

It's a shame, though. My life would be so much better.

**AN: So what's the verdict on this chapter? Good? Sucky? Please let me know what you thought!**


	9. Chapter 8

_Chapter Eight_

**AN: Yes! I finally updated! I reread The Host again (sobbing through a good half of it) and it reminded me of this crossover, so I cranked out another chapter. Let me know what you think of it, please!**

Jamie's POV

When Melanie walked into the living area and saw me sitting shirtless on the recliner with damp hair, red cheeks, and a bandaged arm, she assumed the worst. Whatever that is.

"What have they done to you?" She gasped. Nudge was sitting on the couch at this point, writing on a piece of paper, and Max, Doc, and Fang were mulling around the room. The three of them had already been filled in.

"Mel, calm down," I said in a voice that was still a little hoarse. She glared.

"Tell me what happened."

"I went for a walk this morning and fell in a crevice, and Nudge helped me out of it," I explained. She blinked in surprise; I could tell she was expecting me to tell her that one of the birdkids chased me out with a knife, or something.

"Oh. Well, thank you, Nudge."

Nudge nodded unaffectedly, like she would rather nobody know about her doing anything nice.

"So, are you okay?" Melanie asked, nodding to my arm.

"Absolutely. I'm all warmed up now, and my arm's just a little scratched."

"Were you out walking alone?"

"Yeah, but Nudge was close—"

"No more walking alone, okay?"

I narrowed my eyes; once again, Mel was going to treat me like a little kid. "Just because I got unlucky once, doesn't mean I'll get hurt every time I step foot outside."

"It actually is a good idea to travel in pairs," Max piped up. "You never know what's going to happen out here." My sister looked at her with some level of respect for the first time since we'd been here.

"Here that?" She said to me with raised eyebrows. I sighed, but decided that if Max—who knew what it was like around here—said it was dangerous, it probably was.

"Fine, fine, buddy-system, got it."

Mel smiled triumphantly, satisfied. Just then, Wanda came sauntering down the stairs. It took her a moment to register the scene, and when she did, she gasped.

"Jamie!" She cried. I groaned. As much as I loved Wanda…well, she was worse than Mel when it came to my safety.

"I'm fine, Wanda," I muttered. Ian was behind her, smiling to himself about something or another.

I had to explain what happened to Wanda, too, and when I did, she was profuse in her gratitude towards Nudge.

"Oh, thank you so much!" She cried. "I don't know what I would do if Jamie were to get seriously hurt." Wanda didn't have any pride issues holding her back from being a tiny little ball of emotion. As usual.

"No problem," she mumbled abashedly. It occurred to me that Nudge had a hard time holding up her tough façade when talking to Wanda.

_Interesting_, I thought to myself, watching Nudge carefully. Her walls weren't down yet, but I could see a tiny little crack in them. Even she could hardly resist Wanda's kind, gentle personality and delicate features.

It gave me an idea.

"Maybe she'll open up to you," I said to Wanda later in the day, once I was warm and washed up.

"I don't see how anyone couldn't," Ian put in with a smile. I rolled my eyes. After all this time, the two still treated each other as if they walked on water.

"I don't think she likes me, though," Wanda replied unsurely.

"She doesn't like anybody. You have a better chance than anyone else. Come on, can't you do it for me?"

She sighed. "That's not fair, Jamie. You know I'd do anything for you."

"Okay, cool, thanks!" I ran off before she could protest any more.

Nudge's POV

I was fixing myself a couple sandwiches in the kitchen when the tiny little soul they called Wanda came in.

"Hello," she murmured, smiling.

"Hi," I responded. I didn't have the heart to be mean to her.

"Are those all for you?" She asked, nodding at my plate. I had four sandwiches sitting on it. I nodded sheepishly.

"We eat a lot."

She took a seat, seeming interested. "How come?"

"We need a lot of energy, for flying. Our heart beats really fast. We have fast metabolisms," I rattled off. I hoped she wouldn't ask me any more questions, because I felt obliged to answer her. Unfortunately, though, she was pretty curious today.

"Do you like being part bird?" The question caught me off guard, and it took a second for me to answer.

"I didn't used to," I replied. "I used to just want to be normal. But I think I've always liked my wings deep down."

"I know what that's like," Wanda murmured. "Wanting to be normal, I mean."

"Yeah?"

"Mhm. You want to know how I ended up with the humans?"

For some reason unfathomable to me, I did want to know. So, trying to look uncaring, I said, "Sure."

"Well, you know Melanie? She was caught by some Seekers a long time ago, and they put me in her. Only, she didn't go away like she was supposed to. She was there, in the back of my head. She talked to me." She smiled wryly, remembering. "I loved who she loved, and it brought me to the humans. I'll tell you about the rest another time, if you want, but in the end I came to love Melanie so much that I wanted to give her body back. So I did, but the others loved _me_ so much that they found a body for me, and here I am."

I felt a little uncomfortable at the way she used the word body, but it didn't distract me from the story. I was fascinated at the prospect—I didn't like Melanie very much so far, but now that I thought about it, she reminded me of Max a lot. She didn't give up, and she was tough, but deeply cared about her loved-ones.

"What about the guy with the black hair?" I wondered, remembering how she was usually attached to him at the hip. She beamed, her cheeks flushing.

"That's Ian. He…he loved me, even when my body didn't." I raised an eyebrow, implying that I had no idea what she was talking about. She sighed. "Well, the whole reason I came to them was for Jared and Jamie. So, it was kind of hard to love Ian back when Melanie was screaming for Jared." I guess it was kind of cute, but relationship drama held none of my interest.

However, Jamie's name did. It intrigued me that anybody could love him so much as to abandon all they knew to live with the enemy. _I_ sure wouldn't. He was weird.

But thinking about it, I suddenly realized that he must be the reason Wanda was talking to me right now. She had no reason to want to talk to me, especially with my reputation around here. Jamie must have seen how I softened around her, and taken advantage of it.

I narrowed my eyes.

"Are you okay?" Wanda asked, all concerned. It angered me even more that Jamie would use the poor thing like this.

"Jamie sent you, didn't he? He told you to come talk to me?"

"Of course not!" She said, but she lied horribly.

"Look, your story's cool and all, but could you tell him that whatever he's trying to do, it's not going to work?"

"He only wants to help you," she mumbled. "He wants you to be happy."

"Well I don't need anybody's help, and why does he care of I'm happy, anyway?"

She shrugged, not sensing that this was a rhetorical question. "Because he likes you?"

I laughed humorlessly. "Oh, that's rich." I picked up my plate of sandwiches and headed for the door.

"How can you be so unhappy?" She wondered. "Here, surrounded by all these people who love you, how can you be so sad?"

I shook my head, not bothering to explain it to her.

I wished I could hate her. She was one of _them_, and she was friends with Jamie. But something about the way she'd gone against nature, and something about her manner in general, made it impossible to hate her. I wasn't going to go spilling my secrets to her any time soon, though. I wasn't going to tell anybody my innermost feelings. That was for me to know and Jamie to never figure out.

Jamie's POV

"So?"

Wanda shook her head. "I was close to getting her to open up. Her eyes were softened, and she asked me questions…but she figured out that you were behind it. It's a shame, though. I think she could be really sweet."

My eyebrows pulled together. "Me too," I said. "That's the problem."

"Is _that_ the problem?" Ian asked, sitting next to Wanda. I was confused by his tone.

"What do you mean?"

"Jamie, as much as I want to believe you've got only selfless intentions, I can tell that's not all. You really like her, don't you?"

"Nudge?" I scoffed. "No. Of course not. She hates me. And, like we were saying before, she keeps others out."

"'There is safety in reserve, but no attraction. One cannot love a reserved person.'" The three of us whirled around to see Angel standing there with the book _Emma_, by Jane Austen, open in her hands. "Which is why you want her to open up, of course," She continued, shutting the book. "You want to love her."

I blinked.

"Um…"

"Don't try to deny it, big boy. I can read minds."

Ian, Wanda and I gaped at the little girl, and she just smiled. She must be used to this sort of reaction.

"Oh, I am, Jamie," she assured me. Again, I just blinked. "Max didn't want me to tell anybody about my powers, but I couldn't resist. Just don't tell your sister, okay? We don't want her getting upset again."

I nodded feebly, still astonished beyond belief. But quickly, I regained my composure.

"Wait, you can read minds, so can't you tell us why Nudge is so depressed?" I asked. Angel frowned.

"I don't like to read her mind. It's too sad. I miss the way she used to think. But I do know that she feels really alone and helpless all the time. Lord knows why. I think she's clinically depressed, but it's not like we can just make some Prozac magically appear."

Clinically depressed. I felt even worse at that idea, that something was seriously wrong with the girl. In this light, she wasn't being nasty just to be nasty; she couldn't help it.

"I wonder if the souls have any medication for that," Wanda mused. "I mean, I'm sure souls can get depressed, too."

"I've never seen a tank of Happy on all our raids," Ian said. I snorted, but imagined what it would be like. How amazing would it be to have a little dissolvable square that solves all your problems? Pop it in and swallow and _bam_, you're all rainbows and sunshine.

Well, maybe we didn't have any Happy, but now I was more determined than ever to help Nudge.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

**AN: Yes, believe it or not, but I, skamusic4, am updating two days in a row. Somebody should give me a cookie or something. Ah well, enjoy!(:**

Nudge's POV

I can never have a few minutes to myself. I go to my room for some peace of mind and _somebody_ always ends up following me. It might not bother me so much if that somebody wasn't, infallibly, Jamie.

"What could you possibly want now?" I growled. "I saved your life already. Now get out." He sighed and sat down on my bed, right next to me. I scooted away.

"I know," he murmured. "And I can never thank you enough for that. In return, I want to help you."

"Oh yeah? The door's over there." I pointed dramatically.

"Yeah," he snorted, "leaving you to sulk alone in your room is so much help. If you just talk to someone every now and then—and I mean really talk, not just spew insults—you might feel better."

I narrowed my eyes at him, glaring menacingly. "I do not need help, and I most definitely do not need it from you. When will you ever learn?" I emphasized my point by extending my arm and pushing him off the bed. He landed with a thud on the ground.

He would have been fine, but for the way his ankle was positioned. As it happened, he fell in exactly the wrong way, and he groaned when he hit the floor. His ankle was twisted awkwardly.

"Walk it off," I muttered. He grimaced, trying to stand but not being able to put weight on it. "Aw, Hell." I got up and put my arm over his shoulders and helped him sit on my bed again.

"It's probably just a roll," he mumbled. I glanced down at his ankle, which was swelling already.

"It's definitely a sprain," I said flatly. "Might be broken. I'll be right back; feel free to leave if you can."

I went down the steps, hating myself more and more with every one. It wasn't that I felt particularly bad about hurting Jamie because, let's face it, it's _Jamie_. I knew that when his sister found out, though, it would be her last straw. Even Angel might not be able to persuade her to stay. I felt bad because I knew how much this meant to Max, how excited she had been.

Yeah, yeah, be as surprised as you want. I might not look it, but I'm still capable of feeling _some_ emotion.

I grabbed some ice out of the freezer and stuck it in a plastic bag, and then put a paper towel around it. I had the impulse to grab an Ibuprofin, too, but I have no idea why. What did I care if he was in pain? I just needed the injury to be less conspicuous. Still, though, I popped two orange pills into my palm.

I grabbed an Ace bandage, too, and started up the stairs. He was still sitting right where I left him, but he had a picture frame in his hand.

It was a picture of the flock and Mrs. Martinez, right after we had rescued her. Her environmental club had taken the picture for their yearbook, and Mrs. Martinez had ordered copies for everyone.

I don't know why I still had it in my room. It only upset me when I saw it. We were all huddled in close, like we couldn't bear to be apart, each with huge smiles plastered on our dirty, grimy faces. The sun glinted off of the ocean behind us, and we were all tanned from it. We were a family; a happy one. We were safe. We were doing what we loved. We were on a mission. We had hope.

All the reasons why Jamie should not have the thing in his hands. I dropped the supplies on the bed and ripped it out of his hands. The metal from the frame cut him on his finger.

"Damn it! Can't you go two minutes without getting hurt?"

"Sorry."

"You shouldn't go looking through my personal stuff, either," I scolded. "That's not cool."

"I'm sorry," he repeated, looking at me earnestly. "You just looked so young and…happy."

"Shut up. Do you want me to tape you up or what?"

He nodded and lifted his leg carefully to the bed. I wrapped the bandage tight, but not too tight, and handed him the ice and the Ibuprofin.

"Oh, thanks," he said, swallowing it dry and pressing the ice to his ankle. "I still don't get what's so wrong about being happy, though. Why do you get so defensive?"

"I'm not getting defensive," I snapped, all too defensively. "I just don't appreciate you trying to read into every freaking thing about me."

"You want to know what I think?" He asked.

"No."

"I think," he went on anyway, "that you _need_ someone to care about you. You need someone to go, what's up with Nudge? You need someone," he leaned closer, and I pulled back, "to pull you out of the crevice."

"Charming," I sneered. "Too bad the world is taken over, because otherwise you'd have a great future with Hallmark."

"That's it, isn't it?"

"What?"

"You're depressed because you don't think you have a future anymore."

"Shut up before I knock you off my bed again," I hissed.

"No, that's definitely it. You miss being free and having your life ahead of you. You miss having something to do with your time. You miss adventure and maybe even danger, and—"

"Get out of my room!" I cried. He stared at me for a long moment before sliding off my bed, and hopping out of my room on one foot.

He even closed the door behind him.

I kept my gaze fixed on the door for a few minutes. Then, I grabbed my pillow, stuffed my face into it, and screamed at the top of my lungs.

It felt damn good.

Because he was right. The little rascal was completely, dead-on right. It disturbed me deeply.

Something needed to be done.

Suddenly, I just needed to get out. I glanced out the window and saw snow everywhere. Maybe it was unsafe, but I didn't care anymore. I put on so many layers of clothing that I could hardly move my arms, and poked my wings through the slats that lined up on each layer.

When I was to the point of heat exhaustion, I opened the window and weaseled my way out, closing it behind me. With that, I was off.

Jamie's POV

I hobbled down the stairs, clutching the railing as I went. There were a few people in the living area (Mel, Jared, Ella, Iggy, Charlotte, and Juan) and they all looked up as I struggled down the stairs.

"What now?" Mel demanded furiously.

"I slipped in the bathroom upstairs," I lied easily. "I think it's sprained."

"Jesus, kid, what is up with you?" Jared muttered. Melanie sighed.

"You are just unlucky lately, aren't you?" I nodded, glad that she wasn't suspicious of Nudge.

I couldn't focus though, because Nudge was all I could think about.

I had finally figured her out. I ought to have felt triumphant but…I didn't. I felt awful. I felt like an intruder, breaking into someone's house when they least expect it and stealing all the things they hold dear. I was a thief. I'd robbed Nudge of her privacy, and I felt horrible about it.

"Are you okay?" Melanie asked, noticing my mood.

"Yeah, I'm just…tired. It's been a rough day so far," I mumbled. She nodded in understanding.

"Here, why don't you lie down? Jared and I can go start dinner or something."

"Yeah, we've been bums all day," Jared agreed. He got up, and he and Melanie helped me over to the couch so that I could rest. I wanted to go apologize to Nudge, but I knew I would only make things worse.

I fell into a shallow, dreamless sleep, and when I woke up it was only Angel and Wanda in the room with me.

"Hey, sleepy-head," Wanda said. "I see you've gotten yourself into more trouble, huh?" I rubbed my eyes wearily.

"Yep."

"You seem sad," she noted, coming over to sit closer to me. "What's the matter? Is it Nudge?"

"Yeah," I sighed. I couldn't lie to Wanda. "I finally figured out why she acts the way she does…and I feel bad about it. I feel like I've done something wrong."

"'Indeed, I am very sorry to be right in this instance. I would rather be merry than wise,'" Angel chimed in, reading from the same book as before.

"Would you please stop with the Jane Austen quotes?" I muttered. She shrugged and went back to her book.

"Isn't this what you wanted, though?" Wanda wondered, genuinely confused.

"Yeah, but now that I have it…well, what good does it do me? Nudge hates me more, and even if she didn't, I doubt I could help her. I can't give her the world back."

"It'll all work out eventually," she insisted with that infallible optimism she'd been plagued with ever since her rebirth. It was like, things worked out for her and Mel, so she figured they would for everyone else.

"Sure it will."

"It will," she insisted. Before I got a chance to respond, though, we were interrupted when Max came pounding down the stairs.

"We have a situation," she said quickly.

"Which is?" I asked.

"I went to get her for dinner and she wasn't in her room we looked everywhere but we can't find her anywhere there's a blizzard outside it's so dangerous!" It all came out in a rush, the type of sentence you'd see in a 'correct this' grammar exercise.

"Slow down," I said with a sinking sense of dread. "What's going on?"

She took a deep breath. "Nudge is missing."


	11. Chapter 10

_Chapter 10_

**AN: I bet you thought I'd take another few years to update, huh? Well, no, I'm updating now. And I will probably update again before next week. I actually have this fic roughly finished—and by roughly, I mean, I need to do some SERIOUS revising and editing. It looks like there will be two more chapters, and then I'm going to write an epilogue. Sound good?**

Jamie's POV

It was determined that they would start a search party for Nudge at dawn the next day. The blizzard didn't seem to be stopping any time soon, and they needed to rest before performing a full-scale search party.

To me, this sounded like a heaping pile of BS.

"She could be dying as we speak!" I cried. "I don't care if it's the worst blizzard Antarctica has ever seen, we need to go find her!"

Max, who had regained her composure almost immediately, eyed me levelly. "Nudge might not be talkative anymore, but she's still smart. She has a great deal of common sense. She knows what to do when caught in a blizzard. To be completely honest, I wouldn't be surprised if she was back before the morning, anyway. She's probably just making a point."

"I'm not going to gamble her life on maybes and probablies," I snapped. "You said it yourself that it's not safe out there, and then you said she'd be fine. Either it's so safe that we should be able to go find her right now without a problem, or it's so unsafe that she's in serious danger."

"Nudge is smart," Max repeated. She held up a hand when I tried to protest. "She wouldn't leave during a blizzard, despite her emotions. It was probably clear when she left, meaning she would have time to find a place to hunker down and wait out the blizzard. If we went looking for her now, in the middle of it, we could all get hurt."

I stared at her steadily, but I knew I would not win the argument. It didn't even matter what we were arguing about. If I were trying to convince her that my first name was Jamie, I would lose. She had a certain authority and tenacity that nobody could win against.

"Fine," I muttered. "We better leave first thing in the morning, though."

"We will."

I nodded. Dinnertime came and I ate my food without tasting it. All I could think was, _this is my fault_. If I hadn't figured her out, she would still be sulking up in her room right now, not sulking somewhere in the frozen tundra of Antarctica.

People began dropping like flies after dinner time, hurrying away to their rooms to get a good night's rest—rest that would probably never come to most of them.

I stayed sitting in the living room. Melanie and Wanda both came to say good night, and that they knew we'd find Nudge without a problem, before they went to bed. Soon, it was only me in the living room—oh, and Juan, who sat by the fireplace reading.

It was obvious that I wasn't going to wait until the morning. I wouldn't be able to sleep, anyway.

First things first, I needed crutches, even if I had to make them myself. I figured I'd ask Juan if they had any lying around before I went ripping up dining chairs.

"Um…Juan?" I whispered. He glanced up and smiled a little. "I was wondering if you guys had any—"

"No hablo ingles bien," He said sadly. I grimaced and wracked my brain, trying to remember what Spanish I knew. Sharon had taught me the basics a while ago.

"Ah…me duele mi pie," I said slowly. It meant, 'I hurt my foot.' I wasn't sure how to say ankle. Or crutches. "No puedo caminar," I continued. 'I can't walk.' "Tienes…una cosa…para ayudar?" 'Do you have a thing to help?'

I hoped he would get the gist.

"Muletas?" He wondered. I nodded absently, hoping we were on the same page. "Si, tenemos muletas en el armario." He pointed to a coat-closet on the other side of the room. I hopped over to it and opened the door. After moving some things around, I found two metal crutches leaning against the back wall.

Convenient.

"Gracias!" I said to Juan as I used the crutches to hop up the stairs. Once I got to the room I was staying in, I grabbed my backpack and began stuffing it with what I thought I would need for my escapade. Blankets, sweatshirts, scarves, anything that would fit. Then I put on almost every other article of clothing I owned. I left my coat, deciding in the moment to steal somebody else's since mine was ripped.

I waited until I heard Juan shuffle up to his room before I hobbled out of my room. It was extremely hard to walk, bound tightly with my countless layers, and on crutches nonetheless. I didn't care, though. If I could find Nudge, it would be worth it.

The lights were all off downstairs, but it was still light out. It was summer here in Antarctica; it was always light.

Light does not mean sunny, though. The sky outside was overcast, and though the storm had gotten a little better, it was still extremely windy. I put on Doc's jacket—Ian's and Jared's would be too big even with my layers—and carefully pulled the door open.

I shut it softly behind me, and I was outside.

I was grateful for the ski-goggles I had thought to put on, because if I didn't have every part of my body covered, I was sure I would not get three steps—or hops, rather—out the door. Tiny flecks of snow whipped through the wind and bombarded my face. I was comfortable for the moment, though, having every inch of my skin covered by at least two layers.

I stood right outside the door for a few moments, wondering what I would do if I was Nudge. I remembered the way she had flown with the birds in the morning—was it just this morning?—and started off in that direction.

It was an agonizingly slow progression. I would plant my crutches carefully, and then rock my body forward hard enough to beat the wind. I toppled over a few times, feeling like Ralphie from the _Christmas Story_, but eventually found the right pace for me and began moving steadily.

I kept my head down when I moved forward, but constantly stopped to look around.

I had been at it for about twenty minutes when I caught a glimpse of a dark form through all the white. I squinted and rubbed some water off my goggles.

The wind had momentarily died down, and I could see her moving. There was a rocky face of a cliff, covered mostly in white snow, with a few gray specs. At the top was Nudge, crawling into a cave-type area.

_Of course_ she had to be at the top of cliff.

I set the crutches on the ground and took a deep breath. The raw air scraped at my throat, so I closed my mouth and gulped. I was going to climb.

I placed each of my hands on the cliff's side, and found a foothold for my good foot. Slowly, I began to make my way up, using all of the upper-body strength I could muster. I remembered telling Nudge that I'd gotten strong, working in the caves, and I hadn't been lying. It was a great test of my strength, pulling my body—clad in all its layers, and with a backpack full of stuff—up the cliff.

My arms trembled, and if it weren't so cold I was sure I would be sweating. I'd just about had it when I suddenly found myself on the top of the cliff.

Nudge didn't even notice me.

The rocks and ice had ended up creating an indent, a small cave, if you will. Nudge was sitting in it with her hands wrapped tightly around her knees and her head buried in her arms. She was shaking softly.

I crept closer, dragging myself through the snow with my Jell-o-like arms.

"Nudge?" I uttered when I was close enough. She froze, and slowly lifted her head.

"What are _you_ doing here?" She demanded in a thick voice. Her face was wet with tears, and her eyes were bloodshot. My heart gave a little tug.

"I'm apologizing," I murmured, pulling my scarf away from my mouth so that I could talk, and pushing the goggles on top of my head. "I'm sorry for bothering you, for invading your privacy and everything. If you come back, I'll leave you alone."

She stared at me for a few moments, as if she didn't quite understand what I was saying. I knew she hadn't expected it.

"Um, apology accepted," she muttered. "Now, can you leave me alone like you said you would?"

"Not until you come back."

She cocked her head to the side. "Where are the others?" she wondered, ignoring what I'd said. I could tell by the way that she was shivering gently that she was cold and uncomfortable, but I also knew that if I came any closer she might just run past me and take off.

"They were going to come looking for you in the morning."

"Why are you here now? Who'd you come with?"

"Nobody. I'm alone. I'm here now because I couldn't wait until morning," I explained, not meeting her gaze.

"Why?" She asked incredulously. "That's so stupid. You're an idiot. You have a sprained ankle, and even if you didn't, nobody in their right mind would go off alone."

"Maybe I'm not in my right mind," I said calmly.

"I'll say," she scoffed.

"So, are you going to come back now?"

She narrowed her eyes, an expression I'd seen too many times on her. "No, I'm not going to come back. I don't know why you decided to come looking for me on your own. That was the stupidest thing you've done yet. But it's not my problem. I'm not leaving."

"Why?" I demanded.

"Because I like being alone," she said in a voice colder than the air.

"Well I'm not leaving until you do," I said indignantly, crossing my arms over my chest.

"You'll be here a while."

"I don't care."

"Look at you. You're tired. You can't stay awake forever, and the moment you fall asleep I could take off. Then you'd be stuck here alone."

"It would suck if you took off," I agreed. "And I'm not going to try to stay awake forever. Giving up and being beaten are two totally different things, though. And anyway, you've got to sleep too."

"You're stupid," she said for the hundredth time. "You're going to be the death of yourself."

"I hope not."

She rolled her eyes and turned away from me. Her shivering seemed more violent now that I got a chance to study her. Pulling the backpack off of my back, I began digging through it in search of a blanket. When I found it, I threw it at her. She sat up, looking a little surprised, and then glanced back at me. I half expected her to say that she didn't need my help and throw it back, but she didn't.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

Something was changing, and I could feel it.

"You're welcome."

She laid down, unbuttoning her hood and using it as a pillow, pulling the blanket over her. I knew she was tired.

I yanked another blanket out of my bag and laid down. My hood didn't come off, so I rested my head on the half-empty backpack. I tried to stay awake, but sleep consumed me almost instantly.

Nudge's POV

I fell asleep easily, despite the cold. Jamie's soft, even breathing had somehow lulled me to sleep.

I still couldn't believe he had hiked here all by himself. It was dangerous even for me to be off on my own, and I was a mutant. When I saw him, I was sure he was going to bug me more and ask me to spill my feelings, but nothing was as surprising to me as when he opened his mouth and said he was sorry. I felt a little guilty about being to mean to him.

I woke up after a dreamless sleep, and something was off. I didn't feel the same as when I fell asleep, and it took me a few minutes before I realized it was because Jamie had his arms locked around me. He was snoring gently into the back of my head; I could feel his warm breath on my neck.

Every cell in me screamed to pull away, to push him off of me, run to the edge of the cliff and fly off. But when I lifted my head, craned it around and peaked at his face, I knew I couldn't.

With his eyes shut and his mouth slightly ajar, all his muscles relaxed, he looked so peaceful. He looked like a little, innocent child. The small amount of guilt I'd felt earlier escalated with a vengeance, and my stomach felt weird.

Damn hormones.

"Nudge," he murmured. It took me a second to realize that he was still asleep. My eyes widened; he was _dreaming_ about me. "Nudge, be…happy."

My breathing sped up. The guilt had now turned into full-on self hatred. He _wasn't_ bugging me just for the sake of bugging me. He sincerely wanted me to be happy.

I wanted to hit something, to scream, to open my wings and fly away from any sort of drama, but it was simply impossible. As much as I wanted Jamie to be a total dick, he was a good kid. He really was, deep down, and I couldn't tell how I felt about that.

I knew there was a lot of guilt there for being mean, but then there was anger for feeling guilty. I thought it was sort of sweet, in a psychotic kind of way, for him to come looking for me, yet I hated him for it. I liked that he gave me a blanket, but I disliked that it meant I was accepting help. It was a confusing time, as you can imagine.

I scooted away from him a little and turned so that I was facing him, but his arm was still draped around my torso. I didn't move it. For some completely unfathomable reason, some reason I could not explain even to myself…I _liked_ it there.

A warm tear slid down my cheek before I could blink it back.


	12. Chapter 11

_Chapter Eleven_

**AN: Okay, a few days more than a week, but I hope you're satisfied. Warning: lots of mushy gushy stuff in this chapter. Proceed with caution (:**

Jamie's POV

I woke to the sound of sniffling. Opening my eyes drowsily, I saw that Nudge's were closed, but she was crying. Her body shook, and I knew this because at some point in the night I had put my arm around her.

"Are you…okay?" I asked, worried. Her eyes opened. Big, brown eyes rimmed in bright red. I was hyperaware of my arm on top of her, of how close we were.

"No," she said in a voice thicker than the layers of clothing that I was wearing. I raised my eyebrows, urging her to go on. I was concerned and I could no longer deny it. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"For what? Crying?"

"No, for everything. For the way I've treated you—and everyone. I've been a complete bitch, and I've hurt you, and you don't deserve it. Nobody does. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I said softly. She shook her head.

"No it's not. You were right, of course. You were completely right." She sniffled and swallowed a few times before going on. In spite of all that was happening, I couldn't help but wonder if she noticed my arm, if she cared. I wondered if I should remove it and scoot away. I chose just to listen silently.

"I used to have my whole life in front of me. I used to have all these dreams and aspirations; I used to have an objective. I wanted to go to school—to go to college. I wanted to graduate and get a degree in acting, or maybe computer engineering. I wanted to see the world—you know, see the Great Wall and the Amazon, all that jazz. I wanted to have a husband and little Nudge-lets, and I wanted to be on TV, and most of all, I wanted to help the world. We were supposed to save the world.

"But then the souls came, and every dream I had was ripped out from under me. We couldn't save the world anymore, we couldn't do _anything_ anymore. We could only sit back and watch as slowly but surely the human race got wiped out. I feel like I don't have a purpose anymore. I don't have a reason for existing. There's nothing I can do to help our dying world anymore. All I can do is sit in our little house in Antarctica. That's all I can ever do. And someday, I'll die, and nobody will even know who I was. My entire existence will have been for nothing. Everything I've been through will have been in vain."

She sniffled again, and then broke out crying. I didn't take my hand away from her waist; I pulled her a little closer and rubbed her back with my hand. It was a risk, I knew, but it was better than sitting there and watching her bawl her eyes out all alone.

"Shh, shh," I whispered. Something was definitely changing. I could feel it before, and I felt it again. Something was happening.

"Listen," I said when her sobs died down. She blinked up at me, her big, watery eyes looking so young and vulnerable. I'd never imagined tough, strong Nudge could look like that.

"Listen. You _do_ have a purpose. We all do. We're alive, aren't we? We're alive and we shouldn't be. We're survivors. Just by existing, we're helping the human race live on. Someday something may change, and we've got to be ready. Being here, being safe, and being _ready_ is our purpose, Nudge. Don't be upset about the things you can't do, be grateful about the things you _can_."

She sniffled again, and gave a little nod.

"And you can _fly_," I reminded her, touching one of her wings. I was a little surprised at the softness of her feathers. It struck me as incredible that something so soft and delicate could hold so much _power_. "Who says you can't see the world? Maybe you can't go see everything, but do you really think the souls would want to live in the Amazon? They don't like extremes, and you can see that just by the fact that we're alive. There are a lot of places you can still go, a lot of things you can still do. If you give up now, you really _don't_ have a purpose."

We had shifted into a sitting position, so that we were sitting cross-legged and facing at each other with our knees touching. She stared at me for a long time, and I could _really_ feel that something was changing. I think she could feel it too, or she wouldn't have looked at me like that.

I don't know how long we sat there, just looking at each other. It must have been a while, though, because when she suddenly, threw her arms around me, it scared the crap out of me.

"Thank you," she cried into my shoulder. She was shaking again, and I hoped I hadn't upset her more.

She pulled back and looked at me, fresh tears on her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," she murmured with a feeble smile. "I don't usually cry this much. I don't usually cry at all, actually. I'm just a little…emotional, lately."

"It's okay," I replied, reaching my hand up without thinking to wipe a tear off her face. But then, she surprised me again by reaching _her_ hand up to hold mine there.

_Something_ had changed.

Before I knew what was happening, we were getting closer. Then closer, and closer yet, until our cold, pale lips were touching.

Instinctively, we both pulled back. We gazed at each other with wide, mystified eyes. And then, just when I was sure she hadn't felt the change, she _smiled_.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen. I, Jamie Stryder, got Nudge to smile—a real, genuine smile.

And here we were, talking about purposes in life. I think mine had just been fulfilled.

I hardly had time to think before she was _attacking_ me with her lips. I knew I would have a heart-attack with all this surprise—first she was crying, then she was opening up to me, then she was listening to me, agreeing with me, _smiling_, and now making out with me.

And just yesterday she hated my guts.

Funny how things change.

Nudge's POV

I am sixteen years old. Any girl who is in her teen years, or passed them, knows that emotions make us do _crazy_ things. It can make us jump on a plane or get married on a whim or scratch someone's car or ruin someone's reputation. Emotions make us unstable. I can attest to that.

I woke up feeling like crap—I felt guilty and upset and depressed and I couldn't even hold it in. And then, everything I felt came flowing out of my like water through a broken dam.

But when Jamie started to speak, I realized something I'd been suppressing all along. I realized that once my walls were down, and I allowed myself to feel, I really liked the kid.

I realized that he was really cute, with handsome features and an irresistible smile. I realized that he was funny and sensitive, smart and sweet. I realized that he was exactly what I'd been looking for all this time. I'd just been too stubborn to admit it to myself.

And on top of that, he opened my eyes to see that I had been wrong all along. I wasn't worthless, as I had thought. Simply being here was a miracle, and I had taken advantage of it to the nth degree. Life had given me lemons and I had thrown them out and taken the garbage out to the road.

But there was one absolute truth that, if all else failed, I could not get around. One thing that tethered me from the ground kept me from being doubtful and rebuilding all the walls I'd built around my heart. There was one thing that, once realized, enveloped all my thoughts and completely boggled my mind:

I loved Jamie.

Of course, the force of that thought, the sheer shock at the epiphany, was overwhelming. All logic and reasoning went out the door. There was really only one thing to do: kiss the boy. So, I did. And let me tell you, it felt pretty damn good.

Years of silence and angst came rushing out of me in one big burst. After being bottled up for so long, I was a loose cannon.

And you know what? I don't think Jamie minded too much.

He kept one hand on the small of my back, and the other on my face. It was as if he wanted to hold me as close to him as he possibly could, and it felt like heaven. It felt so amazing to be loved, to be wanted, to be cared for. I knew the flock loved me, but…not like this. _Definitely_ not like this.

We kept up this osculation until my stomach gave me away. It growled loudly, surprising both of us. I hadn't eaten since lunch the previous day, and I don't do well without food.

"You need to eat," Jamie stated. I nodded.

I didn't even care about how it would be when we got back. I didn't care what the others would say, how everybody would be shocked at my sudden change of personality. That's the things about love, I guess. It feels like there can be no problems, like there can be no drama. Everything is manageable, everything is attainable.

We got up and packed Jamie's things back in his backpack. He handed me his spare pair of gloves, since mine were all wet. His were, too, but he said he didn't really mind. He also handed me his extra scarf, and asked if I wanted a change of clothes.

"We'll be back soon," I responded. "I think I'll be okay." He nodded and zipped up the back. As we headed for the edge of the cliff, he wrapped his heavily gloved hand around mine. I smiled, some color flooding my cheeks.

Just as we stepped out of the cave, we heard a loud, surprised, "What the Hell?"

We turned abruptly to see Max standing to our right, with Fang behind her. She didn't look angry, really, just shocked.

I hadn't been very nice to them, either.

I pulled my hand out of Jamie's, ran forward, and threw my arms around Max and Fang, pulling them close.

"I'm sorry," I told them.

"Umm…huh?"

I let go and smiled at them. They both looked baffled.

"Anyone have a flashlight, to check her eyes?" Fang wondered, eyeing me warily.

"I'm not a soul," I giggled. The pure ecstasy of love and hope made it hard to control my emotions—to do anything but smile and laugh.

Max looked from me, to Jamie, and then back at me again. Her eyebrows came together.

"I'm really confused," she admitted.

"It's a long story. I can explain, though. How about we meet you back at the house?" I suggested. She nodded, studying my face.

"I'm glad you're okay, Nudge," she murmured. Her words had double meaning, and I could tell. She didn't just mean she was happy that I didn't get myself hurt out here; and meant mentally, as well. It really meant a lot to me.

"Thank you," I replied. "I really am." She smiled complacently, ruffled my hair, and took off. _Fang_ even smiled before following her. That's when I knew how upset they'd been. Fang doesn't smile just to smile.

I turned to Jamie, who was staring after them in awe. "You want to go for a fly?" I asked him. It was really the least I could do.

**AN: Too much mush? I'm afraid I turn into a cheese-ball whenever I write romantic parts. Blame it on the chick flicks. It's today's society, I tell ya. Anyway, one more quick chapter on its way, and an epilogue. I hope you've enjoyed the story so far!**


	13. Chapter 12 and Epilogue!

_Chapter Twelve_

**AN: The final chapter(s) are here! Finally! Sorry it's taken so long…you know how it is. I hope, however, that you will all forgive me and enjoy the end of Barely Human(:**

Jamie's POV

Yesterday morning I fell in a crevice. I was so cold that I couldn't even appreciate how incredible it is to fly with Nudge. Today, things were different. Today, I could enjoy it. I could enjoy anything with the jubilant attitude of someone in love.

Flying was really something, though. We dropped down and dug out the crutches, first, because I would feel bad if I left them. Once we had everything, though, we could really take off.

She held me tightly to her chest, and I tangled my legs around hers.

She started pumping her wings, and we began to rise.

The ground beneath my got further and further away, and the wind beat at my exposed cheeks. The world looked beautiful, unblemished, perfect. Up here, far away from all of the problems below, it felt like nothing could hurt us.

Nothing could bring us down.

I no longer felt sorry about bugging Nudge. I didn't feel bad about figuring her out, because look at her now. She was smiling and giggling. There was a light in her eyes that I'd never seen before, a flush to her cheeks. She was happy, finally. How could I regret anything that eventually led to this sort of change?

Another big pro was that I was happy, too. I was never depressed like Nudge, but I was starting to gradually lose hope. I'd come here just in time.

That was another thing. It was mind-numbing to think about how, had I not stood up to Melanie, I wouldn't have even be allowed to come. I would be sitting on my bed in the caves, wondering what it was like in Antarctica.

"Hey Nudge," I shouted over the wind, twisting my neck around so that I could look at her.

"Yeah?"

"I know just yesterday you hated me, but I think I love you." She smiled and used her shoulder to push the scarf off of her mouth.

"I don't think I ever really hated you, Jamie," she responded. "And, I love you, too." She pressed her lips to mine again, briefly, before continuing to our home.

The house was in sight. Soon, we would land. We would go inside, and take off some of our layers. We'd have to explain to everybody why Nudge was a completely changed person. Eventually, we'd have to decide whether we would stay here or go live in the caves. Maybe we wouldn't choose a permanent settlement at all, and instead we'd fly back and forth between all our friends. In the end, though, it didn't really matter.

We had comfort, we had hope, we had food, we had life, and we had each other. That was all we needed, but more importantly, it was all we wanted. Life and love are beautiful things. Accept them. Appreciate them. Embrace them. It's a recipe for perfect happiness.

Even when, you know, the world is taken over by aliens.

Epilogue

Jamie's POV

The caves seemed extra hot, extra sticky, and extra dusty after spending so much time in Alaska. None of this, however, had any effect on me whatsoever. I adjusted the bow tie and grinned at myself in the cracked mirror that someone had gotten in our absence.

A button-up from Geoffrey, a bow tie from Jeb, a tuxedo from Jake, black pants from Fang, and nice shoes from Kyle, of all people. A little something from all the different worlds in which I now lived.

In my old room (since I was now in Ian's getting ready), Nudge was dawning her dress. I still didn't know what it looked like, because Wanda had taken her shopping. There was a wedding shop in Phoenix that ran just like the grocery stores: take what you need and be on your way, no charge. It was obvious that Nudge was wary about the concept of walking right into a soul-run shop, but she'd gotten that determined look in her eyes and trudged through.

Mel was waiting behind me.

"I still can't believe you're having a wedding," she scoffed, and I rolled my eyes.

"This really means a lot to her, so it's important to me too."

"Mom and Dad would be proud of you," she said softly. I turned around to look at her.

"They'd be proud of both of us," I told her, and she smiled wryly.

"I know they would."

"And hey," I continued, smoothing my freshly cut hair back, "if you and Jared want to officially tie the knot, he could always borrow my outfit. I heard we've already inspired Iggy and Ella."

Melanie laughed. "The sad thing is that Jared would probably fit in that outfit. You've gotten so big."

I smiled. "I have, haven't I? Nudge can't even carry me on her own anymore; Max grabs an arm and she grabs an arm."

It had been a year and a half since I met Nudge, and I'd certainly hit my growth spurt. Not only had I grown a couple inches, but I really filled out. I was almost eighteen now, and I sure felt like a man.

She shook her head. "I can't believe you're almost eighteen. I remember when you were just a little boy, all scrawny and sleeping on the sofa."

"Way back when," I said in my best old-man voice. Mel gently punched my shoulder.

"I'm just really happy to see you…happy. I'm glad I let you come when we went to Antarctica for the first time."

"Me too. And thank you. You're a good sister." She couldn't contain herself any longer; she closed the distance between us and threw her arms around my neck.

"My little brother, all grown up!" She cooed. She couldn't see me roll my eyes.

"Watch the tux," I said even though I didn't care. "Come on, let's go."

She released me, got a good look at me as though I was going to disappear, and together we headed to the game room.

I had to catch my breath when we arrived. It was astounding. I don't know how they did it, but the entire game room had been transformed. There was an aisle of red fabric, lined with flowers and rows of chairs on either side. An arch had been formed out of clay and put at the end of the aisle, and a few flowers were stuck in this as well. Ribbons were weaved through the chairs and the arch, and everything was white and yellow and pink, brightly lit (with most of the lamps we owned) and beautiful.

Nudge was going to love it.

We weren't the first ones here; off to the side was a group made up of Sharon, Trudy, Lily, Paige, Charlotte, Kris, Ella, and Angel. I knew exactly what this mixture of Antarctic and cave people were doing here, and it made me feel warm inside to think about it. This was the group that volunteered to be the human organ for us. They'd been rehearsing for weeks, and were now in perfect formation, wearing their best clothes.

I felt a lump forming in my throat, but swallowed it quickly. I was almost eighteen; I was _not_ going to cry in front of anybody. It was just so sweet, the way everybody was coming together to give Nudge and I a kick-ass wedding. Nobody was forcing them to; they just were.

I approached the chorus with my hands in my pockets and cleared my throat. They turned to look at me.

"Jamie, you look so handsome!" Angel cried, running forward and wrapping her arms around me. I laughed. She would be one of the bridesmaids in the wedding, as well as Ella, but she was rehearsing last minute now in preparation for the reception.

"I just wanted to tell all of you how thankful I am for all you're doing," I explained.

"It's not every day we have a wedding in the caves," Sharon said, smiling goofily. She'd gotten a lot nicer ever since she and Doc made up.

"I know, it just means a lot to us."

"It was the least we could do," Lily put in. Everybody was grinning and shining and it felt like nothing could possibly ruin this moment.

I took my place in front of the arch as the others began to fill in. Everybody was here; all of the bird kids, all of the people living in the caves, and all of the people living in Antarctica. Even a handful of friends from other groups that we'd formed alliances with were in attendance.

And then, the angels began to sing. By angels, I mean the chorus, but they sounded amazing as they began the traditional wedding march.

Jeb waited next to me: our priest-for-the-day. At the end of the aisle, the first pair began waltzing down. With all the time I'd spent in Antarctica, and all the time Nudge had spent here, we'd gotten close with people from both. For this reason, my groomsmen and her bridesmaids were very much integrated.

First came Ella and Iggy, then Wanda and Ian. Mel came walking up next to Gazzy, and she winked at me as she did so. Then Doc and Angel; Sunny and Kyle.

Finally, the maid of honor and the best man began to make their way up the aisle. Jared Howe and Maximum Ride, both looking outstanding. Jared gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze as he took his spot beside me.

Next came the flower girl and ring bearer: little Brianna from Antarctica, and Lucina's youngest boy, Freedom. Brianna was about four now, and she walked with extreme care, making sure to throw just the right amount of petals; Freedom kept his eyes on the floor and shuffled forward with red cheeks.

And then, the chorus began to sing the traditional wedding march, and my Nudge appeared at the end of the aisle.

God, she looked beautiful. Her pure white dress contrasted with her dark skin, and it looked like she was glowing in the already-bright room. At her waist, the dress was all gathered up before it flowed out all around her, and her glorious fawn-colored wings were spread out behind her. Her wild hair was all done up, woven with flowers and pined to the veil in front of her face.

But I hardly saw any of this, seeing as I was blinded to everything but the euphoric smile that sat on her face. I remembered, vaguely, a time in the beginning when Nudge smiling was this rare occasion. Now it was all she did—that, and talking. And laughing. And, well, being Nudgely.

She glided forward with Fang at her arm. Mrs. Martinez had offered to walk her down, but she said it just didn't feel right since she was Max and Ella's mom, not hers. Plus, I'd heard through the grapevine that Iggy and Ella were going to have a wedding of their own soon. A few other adults had offered, too, but at the end of the day it was Fang, who was more of a father to her than anyone here, who she selected.

And then he was handing her off, and she was right beside me, and we were just standing there beaming at each other. Jeb began the vows, and I said "I do" at the appropriate times and Nudge did too. He asked if there were any objections and the room was silent.

"All right, Jamie, you may kiss the bride. But please, for my sake, keep it PG."

I took Nudge in my arms and pressed my lips to hers, and it was like the whole world was just coming together in that instant. Every feeling of sadness, rejection, heartbreak, loneliness—it was all gone for good the minute her lips hit mine.

Nudge's POV

I was born in a lab. I grew up in a dog crate. My friends and I lived most of our childhood in hiding and/or on the run, and we tried to save the world until it became un-savable. The world was taken over by aliens and I fell into a depression.

And then I met Jamie.

At the reception, there was wine and cake, and mostly everybody was drunk because wine is difficult to get a hold of around here so everybody's tolerance was super low. Plus, I mean, it's a _wedding_. I danced with all my friends, but clung to Jamie for most of the night.

Can you really blame me, though? Despite my initial block-headed resistance, Jamie turned out to be more than I could have hoped for. When I was younger, I used to fantasize about my prince charming (like most little girls), who would show up riding a horse and propose, and we would ride off into the sunset and honeymoon somewhere super warm with beaches and clear water, and nobody would care that I had wings and talked a lot.

Well, maybe Jamie has no royal blood, and maybe he's equinophobic (scared of horses), and maybe we're honeymooning in Antarctica. But I think if I could show the old Nudge what the future has in store for her, she wouldn't complain too much. Maybe she would about the Antarctica bit, but other than that I'm sure she'd be thrilled.

For that reason, and many others, I was stuck on Jamie like a leech all night. Nobody could hold me at fault, though—I'm only human.

Well, barely.

**AN: Quick thanks to everybody who's read my story, especially those who review, favorite and alert to show me that you like it, or to help me out in some way. I hope you all like this crossover, and if you enjoy my writing there's a whole bunch of stories on my page if you want to check them out. Anyway, thank you again everybody!**


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